The Adventure Saga, Part III: The Truth Behind Us
by Amy47101
Summary: "I never wanted to be a hero!" "But Hilda-" "That's the damned truth, Dad!" With pokémon now in hand, Hilda White has set out to do the one thing she's always wanted; become rich. But with Team Plasma apparently having caused problems on an international scale, Hilda finds herself sucked into a war of truth and ideals, with none other than the mysterious Black by her side.
1. Disclaimer

_Disclaimer/Reminder_

Considering how hard I try to make my stories as unconnected as possible so that new readers will understand them, that simply will no longer be the case in _The Adventure Saga._

For those who have read both _The Beginning with Leaf Green(TBLG)_ and _Enlightening the Soul(ETS),_ you would know the only real connection between the two stories was the small cameo Silver made in TBLG. With this next segment of the saga, there will be a LOT of references to ETS.

So! New readers, if you have no clue what is going on, I suggest you read _The Adventure Saga; Enlightening the Soul._ If you don't want to do that, I'll clear up several things in this section, for both old and new readers sake!

o.0.o.0.o

 _What's happened so far…_

Before any of the events in any of the stories, there were several kidnappings of children with unusual high levels of abilities across the regions. The wearabouts of these children are unknown. One of these disappearances included the disappearance of young Serenity Green, but it is unconfirmed if these children in question are connected kidnappings, giving the vast amount and how they varied from region to region.

o.0.o.0.o

In the events of _The Beginning with Leaf Green_ , which happen over the course of a year, the grand efforts of the original four dexholders are recorded. The battle between them and the notorious Team Rocket, often dubbed as 'The Final Battle', Leaf Green sacrificed herself to save a red-haired boy who was screaming for Giovanni to wake up. It is rumored this child claims to be his son, but no further proof has surfaced. In this act of heroism, Leaf fell into a coma for some time, allowing Gary Oak to claim the title of champion at the young age of fifteen while her comrades, Fire Red and Dayna Yellow, helped Kanto repair itself from the destruction Team Rocket caused. Upon Leaf's awakening, she challenged the league and won, taking the title as 'youngest champion' from Gary Oak.

The last bit of publicity that was given to Leaf was when she was fifteen years old and asking the world for help in search of her younger sister, Serenity. With the help of her fellow dexholders, Leaf began to travel the world in search of information of the girl. Upon her travels, Leaf ultimately broke under the public pressure, deciding to climb Mount Silver and remain there. Neither her nor her fellow dexholders are mentioned until three years later.

o.0.o.0.o

In the events of _Enlightening the Soul,_ which happens over the course of about two years(taking place three years after _TBLG_ ), the efforts of the secondary dexholders are recorded. Here, Lyra Kotone, Silver, Ethan Hibiki, and Krystal Quartz are recorded battling not only the revival of Team Rocket, but also the mysterious Masked Rockets. Lead by the ominous Mask, it seems he is responsible for many of the kidnappings across the regions, but there is only real proof when it comes to two children: a girl named Vale and a boy named Silver. All the other children were not introduced, but mentioned to be in another region. The only other person introduced was a mysterious young man nicknamed Hood, who seems to share an odd connection with pokémon, but like pokémon, is both wary and curious of humans.

In the end of this chapter, Vale is presumed dead, having drowned when the base was destroyed. Her current whereabouts are unknown to Silver and Sara, a young detective set on finding the missing children, but she is heading after Hood to help him see the reality behind his father's(Mask's) evil intentions.

In this chapter, titles for the dexholders and group names for the dexholders were introduced. These talents are based off of their exceptional talents or expertise in a specific area.

In the end, at age sixteen, Lyra Kotone beat the Indigo League and it's champion, Lance, but turned down the championship. Having defeated all the Kanto gym leaders, she moved to challenge Leaf Green, but lost by only a hair.

 ** _The Pokédex Holders  
_** ** _(Ages determined by the end of Enlightening the Soul)_**

 _Kanto  
_ _The Primary Dexholders_

Leaf Green, The Strategizer  
 _She who forms flawless strategies.  
_ Current age: Eighteen  
Birthday: January 29th

Gary Oak, The Trainer  
 _He who trains his pokémon to pique strength.  
_ Current age: Nineteen  
Birthday: September 8th

Fire Red, The Helper  
 _He who will always lend a helping hand.  
_ Current age: Nineteen  
Birthday: October 5th

Dayna Yellow, The Healer  
 _She who has a healing touch.  
_ Current Age: Seventeen  
Birthday: June 16th

 _Johto  
_ _The Secondary Dexholders_

Lyra Kotone, The Treasurer  
 _She who treasures every and all life.  
_ Age: Sixteen  
Birthday: June 21st

Silver, The Evolver  
 _He who can evolve pokémon to their best.  
_ Age: Seventeen  
Birthday: December 24th

Ethan Hibiki, The Breeder  
 _He who breeds the perfect pokémon.  
_ Age: Sixteen  
Birthday: July 21st

Krystal Quartz, The Catcher  
 _She who captures every pokémon  
_ Age: Sixteen  
Birthday: November 2nd

 **OCs That Will Make an Appearance**

Vale

 _A missing child kidnapped by Mask. Now, she is on a search to find not only herself, but reveal to Hood his fathers true intentions. Presumed dead.  
_ Age: Eighteen  
Birthday: ?

Sara Knight  
 _A detective who specializes in missing persons/pokémon. Under supervision of Looker, this young woman now puts her sole focus into avenging the death of her childhood friend, Felicity Ray, AKA, Vale.  
_ Age: Nineteen  
Birthday: June 24th

o.0.o.0.o

 ** _What's happening now…_**

No more than three months after the final chapter of _ETS,_ starts this chapter of the saga. _The Adventure Saga; The Truth Behind Us._ The Primary and Secondary dexholders are trying to get to Unova to follow Mask. So far, only Lyra and Silver managed to catch a boat to this new country, but have no leads.

In this story, we follow a whole new round of heroes...


	2. Prologue to the Tale

**I'm going to be one hundred percent honest, I love Unova. I love the characters, I love the story, I love the region, I love the pokémon. You know how genwunners will always defend gen one? I'm someone who will always defend gen five. I'm a genfivver.**

 **Confessions aside, the first actual fanfic I ever wrote was a Chesshipping BW fanfic. I went through two notebooks and twenty pens writing it, word for word, in cursive. This was when I was about twelve or thirteen and first started writing. And I can remember how horribly cringy it was. Oh my god, I kick myself every time I think about it because it was BAAAAAAAAD.**

 **But, it is what got me started on fanfiction, and searching for fanfiction, which eventually lead to this account and** ** _The Adventure Saga_** **as a whole. So contribute my love of Unova and the BW games to the whole damn series.**

 **And yes. My partial love for this region is why I've got everything all out of order. But it makes sense in my head.**

 **I've got to add parts to the titles, I think.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda was in the midst of pulling her hair into a ponytail when she heard a pounding of footsteps coming up her stairs. They paused just at her door, the not so quiet excilmations of a familiar, light-hearted voice coming through her door.

"Uhhh, I'm so sorry! I know, I'm late again…"

"Hey, Bianca! I've known you were a slowpoke for ten years now, but sheesh… Today's the day you get your Pokémon from Professor Juniper, remember?"

"Okay, I said I'm sorry!"

There was suddenly the sound of shushed whispers.

"Honestly, Bianca, there's no point in whispering." the only male of the trio sighed. "Hilda sleeps like a rock anyways. A stampede of Bouffalant could come through town and she'd sleep through the whole thing."

"Oh, have a little fun, Cheren!" the bubbly voice responded. A long, drawn out sigh. Hilda smirked as she moved back to her bed, picking up her hat of the bedpost. Cheren should be used to her antics at this point. A not so quiet voice counted down excitedly. Obviously, she was trying to whisper, but was failing.

Then, in a loud display of drama, her door slammed open and a blond burst into her room, practically catapulting herself into her bed.

"Wakey, wakey, Hilda!" she screamed excitedly while jumping up and down. Hilda was honestly glad that she wasn't asleep while this Bianca went through this. No doubt she'd break something in her body with how vigorously she was jumping.

"Bianca." Cheren groaned out, putting a particular emphasis on the a at the end, letting it drag out. His glasses had moved down his nose, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose. Under his other arm was a blue box, wrapped with a bright green ribbon.

It was then, and only then, that Bianca paused her joyous jumping and looked at him.

"What?" she asked, face flushed and breathless from the bout of exercise.

"Against our better judgement," Cheren said, turning his gaze to Hilda's. "She's awake."

"She is?" Bianca followed his gaze, then beamed brightly. "Oh, Hilda! To excited to sleep, are you?"

"Actually, I knew that you were going to try to assault me this morning." Hilda smirked, pulling her ponytail through the back of her hat. "So I actually had my pokémon wake me up beforehand."

"You're so lucky that your dad sent you a pokémon!" Bianca gushed as she began to get off the bed. Her feet tangled in the sheets, however, and she faceplanted into the floor.

Cheren and Hilda were used to this however. Their first experience with Bianca's clumsiness was when they were just tiny tykes, and they were at Cheren's house to read or something boring like that. The reading somehow turned into jumping on the bed, and similarly to now, Bianca got her feet tangled and took a tumble. Only difference was, when she faceplanted, her face literally hit the floor, and her top two teeth popped out with a gush of blood.

It took months for Bianca and Hilda to get Cheren back on good terms with him, mostly because Hilda kept telling him the bed jumping was her idea. Which was true. But that made her a 'bad influence'.

Like she cared.

"I'm fine!" Bianca said, immediately perking up. After Cheren set the gift on her desk, he moved to help Bianca up. Bianca moved to straighten up the bed as best she could. "But as I was saying, it's so cool your mom signed off on the papers like that. And even better, a foreign pokémon! When I asked to just catch a pokémon as part of the lesson, he flipped out! He wanted me to release her afterwards, but I couldn't bring myself to release Lillipup, I just couldn't!"

As Bianca gushed over her Lillipup, Hilda grinned with pride at the mention of her Eevee. Her parents split up when she was younger, something about her parents being to young and her dad still wanting to travel. That being said, he wasn't really a bad father. He paid child support, and he even sent her Eevee on her tenth birthday. Poor sucker didn't realize the law had changed even in Kanto, raising the training age to fourteen. So he was blown away that in Unova, the legal age was sixteen to officially leave home and have a license to battle and participate in the pokémon league.

Thankfully, in Unova, when one reaches the age of ten, they are allowed to have a 'junior trainers license'. This being said, the owner of this license can have one pokémon, so long as they are being educated and taught to be a proper trainer, or they have adult supervision that can heal the pokémon once it fainted. They had been taking classes for years, preparing for this moment and day.

"Where is Eevee anyways?" Cheren asked, cocking his head. "I didn't see him downstairs."

"He's probably hiding in the cupboards or in my purse or something." Hilda waved her hand dismissively. "The mooch takes pride in begging for food. Shake a can of treats, he'll show up."

As if on cue, a pokémon came bounding into the room.

"Eevee!" she said half scolding, half sarcastically. She couldn't help but smile at him, however. The little guy, as much of a mooch as he was when it came to food, was adorable and one of the few things she had to remind herself of her dad. He made her happy.

"Done!" Bianca beamed, having finished making her bed. Bianca greeted Eevee happily as he leapt onto the bed with ease, walked in a circle exactly six times, then settled himself onto the mattress. Hilda could feel her eyebrow twitch as the pokémon settled smack dab in the middle of it. Another habit he picked up from who knows where, but he refused to sleep on a pokémon bed. He wanted to sleep on the mattress, and he wanted to sleep smack dab in the middle of it. Trying to move him was unlikely, she's got more than one scar from him biting her when she first got him. Even now, on an off day, he'll nip at her fingers or toes if she tried to move him while he slept.

She gave up on trying to move him whilst sleeping.

Hilda turned to her friends, placing her hands on her hips.

"First and foremost, did you two receive them yet?"

Cheren held up two official-looking envelopes.

"I intercepted Bianca's mail before her father could get ahold of it." he said, passing one to their blond friend. "Not an easy task, mind you."

"Thank you, Cheren." Bianca said with earnest gratitude. Hilda knew how much she appreciated their help. There was a constant darting about and sneaking around behind his back, trying to get her eligible for her trainers license as well as getting noticed by Professor Juniper for anything was a task in and of itself.

In the end, and this pained Hilda to say about her bubbly friend, Bianca probably only got her dex because of the good word from the most intelligent student in the class and the best battler. Being Cheren and herself.

To lighten the mood, Hilda held up her own envelope.

"Ready?" she asked with a teasing grin. "On the count of three! One, two…"

"Wait!" Bianca exclaimed. "Do we go on three or do we go on go?"

"Go?" Cheren demanded. "Who said anything about go?"

"I just wanted to make sure!" Bianca insisted.

"Three!" Hilda rolled her eyes. "One, two, three!"

Cue the ripping of envelopes. Hilda ripped the flap open while Cheren opened his with abject precision. Bianca struggled, but ended up tearing the envelope in half, the contents falling to the floor. Ears tinged a slight pink, Bianca laughed at herself, then stooped down and scooped up the contents.

Hilda quickly glanced over the paper. Nothing but a congratulatory letter and rules and laws that they learned about in school. What they all wanted was the small plastic card folded within it. Hilda looked at hers and grinned. At the top was "Trainers License", with Unova in huge letters undernieth. True, her smile was a little crooked, one end up higher than the other, but the picture was good. Which was saying something because she always looked horrendous in pictures. Next to the picture was her information. Name, date of birth, address, along with physical info; sex, eye and hair color, height and weight… Behind her information was the Unova crest.

And then, to solidify the whole process of handing over blood and hair samples with her fingerprints, was a signature in chicken-scratch handwriting. She was, officially, a trainer.

Bianca let out a high pitched giggle. And once she was going, she couldn't stop.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped between laughs. "But I think this is being 'giddy'!"

"I understand completely." Cheren said, looking at her. His face was a mix of pride and happiness. Without skipping a beat, he opened his wallet and slipped the license inside. Hilda dug through her purse, pulling out a worn wallet. She felt herself internally cringe from how light it was, but regardless, she slipped her license into a slot. Bianca, after some fumbling, managed to stow her license away safely.

"C'mon, lets open the box!" Bianca beamed, curling her hands towards her chest. "I'm excited to meet the pokémon!"

"She's right." Cheren nodded, turning back to the box. "And I'm sure they are just as excited to meet us."

Hilda rolled her eyes at Cheren's subdued excitement. Even as a kid he was like that, always trying to "act like an adult". It just made it easier for Bianca and her to tease him.

Crossing her small room in a few short strides, Hilda practically ripped the ribbon from the box and threw the lid to the side of the room. Inside, expectedly, was three pokéballs, In the back of the box, safely nestled in the back was three rectangular devices.

"Are those…?" Cheren asked, almost in awe.

"Seems so." Hilda could feel her grin growing. A pokédex? She was't a moron, she knows about the prodigies that obtained them. And of the entire graduating class, Professor Juniper chose them to have them. She snatched one from the middle, holding it up. "My one-track ticket to fortune, right here!"

"Can we possibly choose a pokémon?" Bianca asked. Hilda, through a haze of fortune, she glanced back at the box.

"I'll take this one." she said dismissively, taking the one to the right.

"All right!" Bianca grinned, she grabbed the other two and looked between them. Then, she clutched the one in her right hand close to her chest. "I'll take this one! Cheren, this one is yours!"

"How come you get to pick you my pokémon for me?" Cheren asked. With a sigh, he shook his head. "Oh, never mind." he took the pokéball from her. "I wanted Snivy from the start, anyways."

"All right!" Bianca cheered, letting out her new pokémon. A Tepig materialized in front of them. It casually looked around before it reached up and rubbed it's snout with it's front hoof. "Oh, how cute! You'll get along great with Lillipup!"

"Do you really think it's okay for you to let it out like that?" Cheren asked, shooting a cautious glance at Hilda.

"As long as they don't break anything, I don't see the problem." Hilda said, keeping her gaze on Tepig. So if Bianca got Tepig and Cheren got Snivy, that meant that she got Oshawott, the water type. Enlarging the pokéball, she tossed it lightly, and it popped open, letting out the water-type.

One scan of the pokédex, and she had the gender of the little guy.

"So, Oshawott." Hilda kneeled down in front of him. She couldn't help but smile. "Heh. You know, you're pretty cute."

She glanced over at Cheren, and snorted, trying to hide her laugh. Why was it that Cheren and Snivy seemed to mirror each other perfectly? Tepig and Bianca seemed to really be getting along too. It made her laugh, because the sleek Purlion matched Cheren pretty well when he caught it, just as the bubbly Lillipup matched Bianca.

Tucking the pokédex away into her bag, she pulled out a small bag of treats she usually kept for Eevee. Opening it, she held one out to Oshawott, who sniffed it cautiously. Eevee had hopped down and came over to him, curiously sniffing at the food in her hand.

"Eevee, are you here to greet your new teammate, or are you here to eat?" Hilda demanded, hardly sparing the pokémon a second glance. Oshawott took a piece of the food from her palm, and held onto it. Eevee straight up gobbled it from her hand. While she paid attention to Eevee and his insatiable appetite, she failed to notice Oshawott fumbling with the piece of food. Hilariously, the food went flying and hit Snivy on the back of the head.

Snivy seemed to stiffen up entirely, then took her tail and furiously wiped the back of her head. And then, just barely, Hilda swore she caught a glimpse of a trickster behind that innocent little Oshawott face. He reared back and hit Snivy again.

That pissed her off.

Snivy retaliated by whirling around and smacking him upside the head with a vine ship. Once Oshawott was considered 'taken care of', Snivy furiously wiped the back of her head again. Oshawott retaliated by taking the shell from his stomach, and furiously slashing at Snivy.

Tepig, noticing the fight, struggled to get out of Bianca's arms and darted over to them. Standing between the two, he began saying something.

"Aw, he's mediating them." Bianca cooed.

"We should be taking charge of this before it gets out of hand." Cheren said, looking up at Hilda. "Hilda, control your pokémon."

"Excuse me?" Hilda snapped at him. "It was an accident, obviously. Tell your Snivy to not be a crazy OCD freak."

"There is nothing wrong with taking a little bit of pride in personal hygiene." Cheren responded, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, no, that's more than pride. That a friggin' compulsion." Hilda shot back.

"Guys…" Bianca whined. Before she could get a word in, Snivy and Oshawott lashed out again, knocking Tepig aside.

"You've got it Oshawott!" Hilda encouraged with a shout, clenching her fist in front of her. "Sick it to the neat freaks!"

"Of all the-" Cheren began, only to be cut off as a spew of flames burst past him. Tepig was obviously not happy about being pushed aside like he was.

"Oh no!" Bianca gasped. "Cheren, what… what do I do?!"

"They're to riled up in order for us to grab them and force them apart." Cheren said musingly.

"Then we fight until one's left standing!" Hilda whooped. "You've got this Oshawott, let's wipe the floor with these scrubs!"

Hilda could feel her grin growing. As much as she hated taking money from her friends, who was she to refuse an opportunity that presented itself? Besides, Bianca totally had money to spare and Cheren… well, he could deal with not getting the next volume of whatever book series he was reading.

"Oh, Hilda's got that look on her face again." Bianca murmured nervously.

"We're about to get robbed." Cheren groaned. "Snivy, I don't feel like starting out my journey broke. Please, would you make sure she _doesn't_ win?"

Snivy glared a cold glare, clearly not appreciating being called a scrub. But regardless, she nodded, getting into a battle stance. Tepig kicked it's back hoof, snorting embers from his nose as he started down his opponents. With shells raring to go, Oshawott looked like he was ready to fight. Eevee hopped back onto the bed, not interested in the battle, considering there wasn't any food involved.

And like that, the three pokémon leapt at each other. They all grappled and attacked, clawing for victory. The battled swept past the trainers and moved around the room. Within moments, Tepig slammed into the desk, scattering miscellaneous items across the floor. Snivy and Oshawott were still brawling, this time moving from the desk and to the bed. Big mistake.

The minute Eevee was awoken, he lashed out, digging his teeth into the nearest whatever that dared to wake him. Unfortunately, that Oshawott.

"ACK! Eevee, no! No, Oshawott is your partner! Let go dammit!" Hilda cried out as she tried to force Eevee off her new water-type.

Eventually, she ended up lifting Eevee and Oshawott into her arms and blowing gently on Eevee's nose. The unexpected bout of air shocked him into opening his jaws, releasing Oshawott. No sooner than being released did Oshawott go back to attacking Snivy. Hilda looked at the little guy as he gave one final slash of his shell, and Snivy fell.

The little guy had determination, she would give him that much.

"I win!" Hilda grinned, holding up her victorious little water-type.

"Poor Tepig." Bianca said softly under her breath, holding the pokémon in her arms. The fire-type blinked himself awake, then snuggled into Bianca. Snivy was on her feet again, but was wincing.

"Rest Snivy, I'll heal you with a potion later." Cheren sighed, smartly returning his pokémon. Bianca mimicked him, tapping the pokéball gently against Tepig's head. "I don't know if I would constitute that as a fair win, considering Eevee got involved-"

"You've gotta be kidding me, Eevee attacked Oshawott!" Hilda exclaimed. "And besides the point, Oshawott was at a type disadvantage! Pay up!"

"I never said I wouldn't." Cheren rolled his eyes, but pressed ten dollars into the palm of her hand. Bianca was a little more generous, giving her an even twenty. "Don't expect to make much on the first couple routes. You'll be lucky to get some childs two dollar allowance."

"I'm not stupid!" Hilda snapped to him, but eagerly snatched up the bills. "I know I'm going to be rolling in dough soon enough! So much dough that I could-"

"Fix up your room?" Cheren offered. Hilda blinked, then looked around. The string of curses that came out of her mouth would have made a sailor shake his head in shame. She dove to check the electronics, the most expensive items in her room. Her heart practically broke at the crack that spiderwebbed across her whole TV.

The most expensive, Arceus-damned item in the whole house…!

"I'm really sorry!" Bianca exclaimed. "I'll buy you a new one! Or give you money for a new one!"

"Yeah, like your dad will fund a new TV for the bad influence." Hilda muttered under her breath.

"I'll convince him, I promise!" Bianca insisted, rushing towards the door. "Cheren, I'm heading home! Apologize to Hilda's mom, won't you?"

"But Bianca-"

Before Cheren could utter a word, she was gone.

"Ugh." Hilda muttered, standing up. "What the hell? I feel guilty. Like a manipulated her or something."

"Bianca blames herself too much." Cheren sighed. "I suppose I should go apologize. Then we'll meet in front of Professor Junipers lab?"

"Yeah, I guess." Hilda muttered, still angry about the TV. Cheren left her room, and she sighed, glancing at the destruction.

Her mom wasn't exactly wealthy, not in any sense of the word. They couldn't afford to go and buy new electronics willy-nilly, they couldn't even afford a two-bedroom home. Her house was more like a square with an upper floor consisting of her room and the bathroom. Her mother slept on the pull out couch most of the time. So electronics like a TV were a rare gift that she was expected to take care of.

She felt a small tug at her shoe-lace, and looked down. Oshawott was looking up at her, the manipulative, battle-ready face from early gone, replaced by the innocent look he had when she first let him out of the ball. Eevee pawed at her leg, looking concerned.

"It'll be fine." she said, more so to reassure herself over her pokémon. Scooping the two up in her arms, the glanced between the two of them. "You two are going to help me. By the end of this journey, we're going to be so friggin' rich that we can afford to burn money."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Current Teams_

Hilda: Eevee(m), Oshawott(m)

Bianca: Lillipup(f), Tepig(m)

Cheren: Purrlion(f), Snivy(f)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I was considering continuing on until they got to Professor Junipers lab, but I thought that this was a good way to start it off.**

 **To clear anything up, I decided to be a little creative with the system here of obtaining a trainers license, almost like obtaining a drivers license here in the states, were you have to study and take tests before you can. Of course, they need a pokémon, so while under their 'junior trainers license' they could legally own one pokémon, which is Eevee, Lillipup, and Purrlion respectfully.**

 **The next chapter will be longer, I promise. But I think this is a nice little opening.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	3. Begin Again

**So, I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to Artemis173. She's been a faithful reviewer and reader of the Saga(and some of my other stories) since the beginning. She wrote me the most wonderful review. Basically, she's shown that, despite the difference in shippings, people can still appreciate a good story. And while I knew everyone liked my stories, I never knew I how appreciated I was for them. The review just inspired me to pour even more of my heart and soul into this story than I was already planning on doing.**

 **So thank you to Artemis173!**

 **Also, this chapter will probably introduce OCs. Please refer to a my beginning disclaimer for info on them. For a more detailed description(for Vale at least) please go to AmytheEeveeLover at deviantart and check out her art and info, including her role in Enlightening the Soul. Please, and I cannot stress this enough;** ** _reference the disclaimer at chapter one._**

 **Also, started replaying pokémon Black. Oh, the memories.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Looker could only stare in worry at his young apprentice.

Sara Knight was struggling since the failure of her last mission. Even though the mission hasn't technically been completed yet, and wouldn't be until the downfall of Mask, he knew just how badly the death of Vale affected her. The poor girl had changed. She was less spontaneous. Less quirky and lively. Much more serious.

Even her dress had changed. From a mishmash of white shorts, a blue tie with a spiffy jacket and bright blue pilots goggles that she wore for really no reason, she was now dressed more conservatively. Simple jeans, a black, almost business-like jacket with a maroon shirt. Comfortable black walking boots were on her feet, with a dark belt that wound around her waist, holding her pokéballs in place.

The only quirky thing about her now was the pale pink bandana that wound around her upper arm. That was the only hope he had for her now, the old her at least. It unsettled him how little she seemed to care about anything else. Nothing but the mission at hand was in her mind. She hardly browsed the internet for anything other than a lead on Mask. He knew because he was tracking what she was searching.

He wished that she would act like the oddity that she used to be, but unfortunately, he saw little hope that would happen. Unless Vale suddenly resurrected, he didn't think he would ever see the old Sara Knight ever again.

He wasn't sure if that was ironic or not. She's been under his apprenticeship for quite a few years now, and he always chastised her to be more serious about her work. And now that she was, he felt like a part of himself had died alongside Vale and the old Sara.

Lowering the pokégear from her ear, she stared out at the ocean for only a moment, then abruptly turned and began walking back towards him. Sara seemed to find comfort in beaches here, but didn't care for looking at the water to long. More than once since they've arrived here, he'd see her walking barefoot up and down the beaches, looking for anything that caught her eye.

Maybe it was another thread of the old Sara, collecting whatever pretty shell or glass that caught her gaze? He's seen the small cup that she kept on her person, slowly filling with things she must have deemed as interesting or pretty.

"I just finished speaking with the agent that's been underground here for about a year." Sara reported. "He said that he knew that something's been going on, but he can't be sure because the organization has been super secretive and… almost mellow. He has, however, gotten the approval and support from this regions professor, and you and I both know how much power and influence they can have. He plans on updating us when he gets enough information."

There it was. That was it. Simply explaining information she received. Nothing more.

Looker didn't know much about this agent, all he knew was that he was here and that he was familiar with Unova. He helped Sara by depositing exactly two pokémon within the shared PC box between the three of them. Sara assumed one was for her and one was for him, but he told her to keep them both. After all, the only pokémon partner he would ever need was his Crogunk.

The pokémon are called Emolga and Escavalier, which Sara lovingly nicknamed Risu and Ransu. She made a joke about how Escavalier looked like a knight. A knight for Sara Knight! The laugh was short lived, but for a moment, she looked happy.

He thought Risu and Ransu were helping her. Risu was a mischievous, who took particular joy in shocking people slightly, almost like the static shock someone got from rubbing their feet against carpet. Ransu seemed more responsible, often picking up where it's teammate slacked off. Both seemed wary of her at first, especially Ransu, but he could see a bond of trust forming between them.

As they continued walking along the path, back to their hotel, Looker pulled something out of his trench coat pocket, plopping the item on her head. She startled, reaching up and grabbing at it.

"June twenty-fourth is your birthday, correct?" Looker asked. "Nineteen years is impressive, especially considering nearly a half of it was spent training to be an officer and…"

"...And looking for a good friend." Sara finished, adjusting the pale pink beanie on her head, styled so that it looked like meowth ears were underneath it. She smiled slightly. "Thank you. It's cute."

"We're going to find him, Sara." he reassured her. "This person they have stationed here is supposedly very capable. Even more so than our veteran officers."

"Really?" Sara cocked her head curiously, as if contemplating it. "That's odd. What else do you know?"

"Nothing much." Looker admitted, digging his hands into his trench coat pockets. "Just that he's grown up here and he's supposedly very capable. Why do you ask?"

"You make it out like he's old and powerful. Maybe he just has that type of voice over the phone, but, I dunno…" she shrugged. "He sounded young."

o.0.o.0.o

With one last forlorn look around the room, Hilda slowly went down the stairs. Upon coming downstairs, she heard Cheren apologizing, along with a very apologetic bow of his head.

"We're very sorry about the mess." he said. "As well as the damage…"

"Damage?" her mother responded. Hilda was nervous about coming down the stairs, and lingered at the half-way point. She loved her mother very much and wanted nothing more than to make her proud. And every time she destroyed something or wasted something, she felt like she was disappointed her.

"Yes," Cheren nodded. "The pokémon… Well, we started a battle, and the room got really messed up. Everything is okay, but…"

"The TV broke." Hilda said, coming down the stairs. She may be ashamed of what happened, but she had enough integrity to not let Cheren or Bianca take the fall for it. "I'm really sorry, Mom. We should have gone outside or tried to stop it before it got out of hand."

"Oh." her mother pursed her lips for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Was that what Bianca was going on about? About promising to buy a new something? She sounded so upset as she left that I couldn't understand what she was saying."

"Yeah…" Hilda trailed off. She still felt guilty about Bianca taking blame for this. Her Mom shook her head and smiled.

"It's okay, dear. I'll just put word in to your father and see if he can help me buy a new one."

"If you want, we can stay to clean up." Cheren offered. Hilda shot him a thankful look. Cheren, as uptight as he was, knew how to please adults. Her mother shook her head again.

"No worries. I'll take care of it later." she smiled reassuringly. "I would like it more if you went over to comfort Bianca, and tell her that a new television isn't neccessary. And besides that, shouldn't you be on your way to meet Professor Juniper?"

"...I suppose." Cheren said. Adjusting his glasses with a displeased look on his face. Cheren wasn't one who liked to leave his messes to other people; a sense of mature responsibility that he's had since he was a kid. "I'll go wait in front of Professor Junipers lab. You should go and see how Bianca's doing?"

"Oooooh?" Hilda teased. "Why me? I'm sure Bianca would enjoy a shoulder to cry on."

"Nice try." Cheren said, adjusting his glasses. "But those tricks stopped working on me when I turned fourteen."

With that, he turned and left the home. Once the door shut, Hilda shared a glance with her mother, and both burst into laughter.

"I swear, did you see his ears?" Hilda snickered. "They were bright red! I know for a fact he grew his hair out like that to hide it, and even today, it's hilarious!"

"Seems your tricks are still working, aren't they?" her Mom said, subduing her giggles and regaining her composure a bit quicker than her daughter. "So, a water-type, huh?"

Hilda looked down at the Oshawott in her arms, Eevee having found peace on her shoulder. The little pokémon looked up at her mother with big eyes, similarly to how he looked up at Hilda when she first saw him. Her Mother got up and crossed the room, petting the little guy gently on his head.

"He's adorable, isn't he?" she said musingly. Oshawott nuzzled into her hand.

"Don't let those cute eyes fool you." Hilda responded. "This little stinker decided to annoy Snivy and started the whole thing. Not that it's an excuse." she glanced back up at her mother. Genuinely loving, but tired blue eyes smiled back at her. "I really am sorry. Of all the things to get broken it had to be the most expensive damn-"

"Language, Hilda." her mother scolded lightly.

"Darn. The most expensive darn thing in the house." Hilda responded slowly. "But I'll pay you back! I'm on my way to fortune now, there's no need to worry about money ever again!"

"Hilda, the money you earn is the money you keep." she responded with a small smile. "You don't need to support me with that."

"Are you sure you can find a way to contact Dad though? He's about as hard to find as a grass-type in a forest."

"I have my ways." she responded with a smile. "You keep your money, and spend it how you want too."

Hilda was quiet for a moment.

"I'm gonna spend it making sure you're comfortable and happy." Hilda finally responded. With the bravado of a champion, Hilda smirked arrogantly. "After all, that's every top trainers dream, to make sure their mom is safe and sound."

Without waiting for an answer, Hilda hugged her mom around the neck with on arm, keeping Oshawott safe in her other one.

"Oh, speaking of your father!" her mother suddenly said pulling back with a smile. "He sent you something." she moved to the cupboard, opening it and pulling out a bright pink box wrapped in a black ribbon. Hilda stared at the pink wrapping paper with a mix of disdain and gratefulness. As much as she loved her father, he had it in his head that she loved the color pink like she did when she was three. Personally, Hilda grew out of that color when she was about eight or nine, but he still sent her pink accessories, including the bag and hat she currently had.

Tearing off the paper, she saw an expensive looking device.

"I know what this is." Hilda said. "A X-transceiver."

"Those are those phone-like devices, right?" her mother asked, watching as Hilda pulled out the device.

"Yeah, Bianca and Cheren have one." Hilda said, she smiled slightly, holding out another one. "There's one for you too."

"Must have been a two for one." her mother murmured under her breath, taking it in her hand. Within a few minutes, Hilda had both of them functioning. "They're quite slick, aren't they?"

"My number's in there." Hilda said. "If you need anything, call me. I'll set up a bank account we can share."

"Hilda, I don't need your money."

"But I want you to have it." Hilda responded with a bright grin. After shouting a goodbye, she rushed out the door.

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda's first mission after leaving her house was to head to Bianca and stop her from begging her father to purchase a new TV. Bianca's house was way bigger than the other little cottage-like structures in Nuvema. While most consisted of two, maybe three bedrooms along with a couple bathrooms her house was bordering seven rooms and four baths, and that wasn't counting the offices, kitchens, and the overwhelmingly amazing game rooms.

This stemmed mostly from her father fortune. He owned a part of Unova Steeling Incorporation, which was a huge steel company. Considering how much steel is used in this country, it was easily the most profitable business in Unova, if not the world. And even better financially, Hilda heard they started a huge construction project just a little north of Castelia.

In short, her father can afford to live in this huge house.

Before ringing the doorbell, Hilda made sure to return her pokémon. Bianca's father was strictly against having pokémon running around inside the house. This was a lesson they painfully learned as children, about ten years old, when Bianca had excitedly brought home a a litwick she had caught. It was in the pre-school qualification event, a competition to see who could catch what. Hilda remembered well, she had managed to catch a Petilil and Cheren had gotten a Roggenrola.

Bianca was so proud, as litwick were almost impossible to find in these parts. On top of that, they were known for being tricksters. So considering she managed to befriend one so quickly, her teachers called her amazing, maybe even gifted. Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps it was something else, but Bianca was so, so proud.

Which was probably why her heart broke so badly when her father refused to even let her in the house with it. Despite both of them offering her a room, Bianca knew she had to go home eventually… So they released the three pokémon together.

It really hurt when she had to watch them go into route one. Even though it was only a few short hours, the three of them already felt attached to their pokémon. So when three sniffling, crying faces came to Bianca's doorstep, they hoped that he would feel a semblance of pity.

Instead, he curled his lip at the two of them, most likely because she was a 'bad influence' and Cheren for the 'front tooth incident', snatched his daughter into the house and slammed the door shut.

This was probably why Bianca insisted they take classes in secret and had either Cheren smuggle pokémon food into the house. She'd never forget Cheren struggling to climb up the trellis with a bag full of high-end pokémon food. Her laughter nearly blew their cover, but Bianca was desperate.

Apparently, so was Cheren to impress her. Hilda was never going to let the fact that, when they were little, Cheren admitted to liking Bianca and accepted the dare to kiss her on the cheek. He says he 'grew past that stage', but when Hilda has a hopeless Romeo climbing up a trellis to deliver Juliet some high-brand pokémon food…

Well, what was she supposed to think?

Finally, the door opened after her third ring. Patience, as much as it was a virtue, was one that she lacked.

The housekeeper was on the other side, looking a little distraught.

"Hey, I'm here to talk to Bianca about something."

"Oh," she looked over her shoulder. "I don't think it's a good time."

"Oooooh. Well, you see," she said in mock sympathy, pressing her fingertips together. "I don't care what her father says. I want to see my friend. Now, am I going to be allowed in the door, or am I gonna have to climb the trellis that her father stupidly keeps up?"

The housekeeper hesitated, and Hilda honestly thought she was going to have climb that damn trellis, when the housekeeper opened the door wider.

"I believe they're-"

"They're in the office, I know." Hilda said. She smiled over her shoulder at her. "We're gonna keep that trellis a secret, right?"

"Of course." the housekeeper laughed behind her hand. "We don't want Cheren to not show up for any rendezvous."

Hilda snorted. Seriously, Bianca was so oblivious and Cheren was so in denial that it honestly hurt. Sometimes.

Going up the staircase, Hilda counted the doors until she reached the office, inside she heard yelling.

 _"NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO!"_

Hilda flinched at that. Bianca, no doubt, might be on the verge of tears at this point. But what she heard next was surprising.

"But I'm… I'm a good trainer who has pokémon and everything!"

Hilda was surprised. Bianca almost never stood up to her father… This was the first time she ever heard her do so. When it comes to her, pokémon, and her dad… It was a constant cycle of sneaking, begging for help, avoidance, and eventual disappointment.

"What nonsense is this? How could my daughter, who knows nothing of the world, be going on a journey with pokémon? You don't even have a license-"

"I do!" Bianca exclaimed. "I took the classes and I paid the bill for it! Mama said it was fine!"

"With whose money did you pay for those classes?!" he practically roared.

"The people at the school told me I had potential! They told me my pokémon trusted me!"

"They say that to every trainer who-"

"They told me Litwick trusted me, Daddy! They told me Litwick trusted me and you made me release her!"

That must have struck a particularly bad cord with him because, before Hilda could react, the loud sound of skin on skin echoed from the office. There was a deadly silence. Then…

"I'm going on an adventure no matter what and you can't stop me, Daddy!"

With that wail, the door slammed open and Bianca rushed out, holding her cheek in one hand. Her father appeared a few moments after her, watching her go. Hilda could feel her lips curl into a scowl as she glared at him.

"You're a real bastard, aren't you?" she spat. His face didn't look anymore happy to see her.

"You dare speak to me like that, cretin?"

"'Cretin'?" Hilda raised an eyebrow. "What is this, the twenties? Newsflash: Unova's not a hierarchy, it's a democracy. You don't have more power because you're rolling in dough."

"I'm not going to justify myself to you. Whatever ideas you planted in my daughters head, she'll see through them soon enough. She'll realize that home is where she is safe and where she belongs."

With that, he slammed the door shut. Hilda flipped the bird to the door, even though she really wanted to put a hole in it. Turning on her heel, she stomped towards the hallway. She swore to every legend she could think of, when she became rich, she wasn't going to be an ass like him.

Coming to a familiar bright pink door, Hilda knocked twice.

"Bianca, it's Hilda." she said loud enough for her to hear. It took a few moments, then the door slowly cracked open.

"Hey." she said quietly. She opened the door wider, and pulled her hat over her eyes. "Oh... It's okay."

"Bianca, listen… By all legal standards, you can leave." Hilda muttered. Bianca nodded, only slightly.

"...It's fine!" Bianca insisted, a firm resolve in her eyes when she lifted her head. "Just please… Don't tell anyone about what happened. It's a secret, okay?"

Hilda was still worried for her friend, but forced a smile onto her face and held up her pinky finger.

"Promise." she insisted as Bianca intertwined her pinky and they shook. Looking a little better, Bianca's gaze trailed down to Hilda's wrist.

"Oh! A X-transceiver!" Bianca exclaimed.

"Yeah." Hilda held up her wrist, grinning. "Dad gave me and Mom one. Still getting used to the new weight, though."

"That's good! That's really good!" Bianca smiled happily. "Here, I'll put my number in here…" she tapped a few things on the device, then seemed to do it again. "And Cheren's too."

"Oh? Cheren's?"

"Yep! I've had his number since forever!" Bianca beamed as Hilda beckoned her out of the room. Happily, she followed behind her. They continued trading words, back and forth until they left the mansion. By the time that they got to the lab, Bianca was in much brighter spirits. Cheren offered them a nod of recognition as he uncrossed his arms and approached him.

"How'd it go?" he asked in a low voice. Bianca flinched, but smiled.

"Great! Really good." Bianca nodded. "I got his approval and all! It's fine!"

Cheren looked skeptical, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before shooting up to Hilda's. Hilda swallowed under his demanding gaze, and shook her head. Cheren knew she was the worst at lying, damn him. But he didn't push the subject and turned towards the lab.

"Now that everyone's here, lets go and meet the professor." Cheren said, opening the door. He politely held it open for the two of them, and all three walked inside the lab.

"… Unfortunately, as much as I would like to help you, I already chose three trainers for the pokédex."

As the three walked inside, they saw the familiar figure of Professor Juniper talking to an unfamiliar boy. He was close to their age, wearing a blue hoodie with gray pants and red sneakers. An explosion of spiky brown hair was shoved under a red and white ball cap. Almost like his hair had no qualms about gravity, it curled upwards, desperate to be free from the hat on his head. A messenger bag was over his shoulder, and he had brown eyes. On his shoulder was a Mincinno.

"You can't retract one?"

"I refuse to do that. They are capable trainers who have earned their right to-" she cut herself off when she noticed the three of them walking towards her. At that, she smiled brightly. "Hi there! I've been waiting for you young people! Let me introduce myself again. My name is…"

"Professor Juniper. We've lived here our whole lives, we know who you are." Cheren cut her off. Professor Juniper let out a laugh.

"Come, come, Cheren! This is not a time to take things lightly. Today is a day to remember always, so it's best to behave with some formality." she patted him on the head like she did when they were children, and Cheren stepped back, clearly embarrassed for being treated in such a way. "That being so, once again, my name is Professor Juniper, and I am researching when and how the creatures called Pokémon came into existence. How are the little fella's I gave you?"

"See for yourself." Hilda smirked, spinning Oshawotts pokéball on her forefinger.

Tossing the pokéball in the air, the water-type popped out. Bianca and Cheren also released her pokémon. Snivy glared at Oshawott, hissing slightly. Oshawott put his paws together, staring tearfully at Snivy, almost as if he was saying "Who, me? What did I do?".

"Stop that now." Hilda said, scooping him up. "I'll defend you, but you were so guilty by antagonizing her."

"Oh, that's unusual!" Professor Juniper said in awe, kneeling down to meet the pokémons eye level. "You've already had a Pokémon battle! So maybe that's why… It feels as though your Pokémon have already begun to trust you!"

"It's nice to see new trainers already forming a bond with their pokémon." the brunette behind Professor Juniper said. He had a smile on his face, a smile Hilda had trouble reading.

"Who're you?" she found herself demanding, quirking an eyebrow.

"I haven't introduced you yet!" Prof. Juniper smiled, turning back to the young man. He held out his hand.

"My name is Black." he said, taking it upon himself to introduce himself. "I'm Professor Junipers nephew."

"Black is an odd name." Cheren commented, but nonetheless, he shook his hand. "My name is Cheren. Are you from Kanto?"

"Kanto?" Black cocked his head. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, there's Leaf Green and Fire Red." Bianca suddenly chirped. "And then Dayna Yellow. I even read somewhere that Gary's middle name is Blue."

"Yes," Cheren nodded to her. "Color names are rather common in Kanto, whether they be a first or last name."

"Oh, so that's the connection you're making." Black said, his tone laced with understanding. He smiled brightly at Bianca. "I could see how you could make that assumption. But no, I'm not Kantonese, ah…"

"Bianca!" Bianca beamed, shaking his hand vigorously. "Bianca Steele!"

"Bianca…" Black said musingly. Then, without a beat... "A very pretty name. It's fitting."

Bianca dropped his hand in a flit of embarrassment, waving her hand in front of her face with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, don't you know it's wrong to flatter people on their first meeting?" Bianca said between nervous giggles. Black simply smiled.

"I was taught that it was wrong to lie to a lady." he responded, turning back to Hilda. Before a word could exit his lips, she spoke.

"Never realized that Professor Juniper had any siblings."

"I do." Professor Juniper smiled, going to her desk and pulling out a picture. Showing it to the three, they saw a picture of a young woman that looked startlingly like the professor. "This is my sister, Naomi."

Hilda found herself glancing between the picture of Naomi and Black. She was having trouble seeing any resemblance.

"I take mostly after my father." Black said, almost as if he could sense her suspicions. "I know this must seem sudden, with me popping up out of nowhere. But blood ties are blood ties."

"Aw, let off him!" Bianca said, slapping her on the back. "If Black says they're related and Professor Juniper says they're related than they're related, simple as that! Usually it's Cheren's job to be suspicious of people, what's up with you?"

"… She is right." Cheren said slowly. "He seems trustworthy enough."

"Excuse me." Hilda muttered, finally relenting and holding out her hand. He grabbed her hand and they shook their hand firmly. "I'm Hilda. And I swear," she gripped his hand tightly, hissing the next words. "You try any of that flirting with me, I'll be breaking bones."

Black, hardly phased, cocked his head with a polite smile. He didn't even look affected by the fact that she was gripping his hand way to tightly.

"Flirting?"

Seriously? The pass he made at Bianca was so obvious, and blatant! Even Bianca, who's denser than a rock in that aspect of her life, picked up on it and got embarrassed!

"Now, now." Professor Juniper said, placing her hands on Black's shoulders and pulling him back. "Excuse him if he was rude or anything."

"He was fine!" Bianca jumped to defend him. "Continue with what you were saying, Professor!"

"Yes," Professor tucked the photo away, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Now where…?" she snapped her fingers and grinned. "Ah, right! As for why I gave you all pokémon…"

"It's for the Pokédex, right?" Cheren cut in, pulling the device from his pocket. Instead of being insulted, Professor Juniper looked impressed.

"I am astonished. Nice work, Cheren! You have already studied Pokémon extensively, haven't you?"

"Well, it's not like it's a huge deal." Cheren said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I'd be concerned if someone didn't know about the pokédex."

"Still, let me explain everything from the beginning, for everyone's sake." she smiled at the four of them. "The Pokédex is a high-tech device that automatically records the Pokémon you encounter! So, I want you three to visit many places and meet all of the Pokémon in the Unova region! This is my request. Hilda! Cheren! Bianca! You'll go on an adventure to complete the Pokédex, will you not?"

"Of course!" squealed Bianca. Everyone cast her a glance, and she cleared her throat. "I… I mean, yes professor!"

"Yes," Cheren nodded. "Thank you very much. Because of you, I was given the opportunity to become a trainer, just as I always wanted."

"I dunno about completing the pokédex," Hilda said slowly, placing a hand on her hip. "But I'll see if I can squeeze it in between kicking ass in battle."

"Hilda, language." Cheren elbowed her in the ribs. Hilda shot him a glare.

"Yes, _moooom."_ she groaned out with an exaggerated roll of the eyes. Bianca snorted back a laugh, shoulders shaking as she tried to hide it.

"All of you, thanks!" Professor Juniper smiled. "You've given me the best possible answer!" she turned to Black. "And I really am sorry about not being able to provide you with a pokédex as well."

"It'll be fine." Black responded, nodding his head towards them. "You weren't lying when you said that you had chosen capable trainers. Maybe they'll put more use to it than me."

Hilda felt skeptical of his sincerity, but decided to not comment on it. With nothing more to say, Professor Juniper wished them luck, and they left the lab.

"S-since the professor asked us, it's okay to go on an adventure, right?" Bianca asked hesitantly, looking between Hilda and Cheren.

"Okay? It's our Arceus-given right now that we have pokémon and licenses." Hilda said.

"Of course." Cheren rolled his eyes. "Now that we are legally licensed, we can travel and do as we please, so long as we don't get in any trouble."

"I can explore and maybe find out what I want to do in life…" Bianca trailed off with a faraway look in her eyes. She then beamed at the three of them. "I think I'd like that."

"That's a good goal to have." Black commented. Hilda turned her gaze back to him, brow slightly furrowed. She still couldn't figure out why he irked her so badly. Regardless, he dug through his bag, as if hunting for something. "My aunt spoke very highly of the three of you, so I figured I'd ask you a favor."

Finally, he pulled out three items that looked like books. Upon opening one, however, it was a flat surface that showed what looked like a map of the region.

"These are electronic town maps." Black explained. "They're able to mark where you've been, as well as giving you the ability to make notes on places you liked in particular. On top of that,"

He dropped the one he had opened, practically giving Hilda a coronary. She knew how much things like this cost, they were damn near impossible for someone like her to even dream of having. She dove for it, but could only marvel as it was uncracked and perfectly fine. She heard a chuckle from above, and glanced up to see Black's smile.

"They're indestructible, for the most part." he held out a hand to her. "Water, fire, electricity… I've tried it all."

"You pass time destroying expensive technology?" Hilda snapped, ignoring his hand and standing on his own. Bianca oogled the device that Black gave her, while Cheren was already testing the note-taking part of it.

"Oh, no." Black shook his head with a laugh. "See, my dad works for a company that produces these things. They can't put the label 'indestructible' on it until it can go through me unscathed."

"So cool…" Bianca whispered under her breath. Cheren glanced at Black.

"I've never seen a commercial or anything for something like this yet."

"That's because it's not on the market." Black responded. "We've got the indestructible part cleared, but now we want to put it on a trial run to see if it's useful for traveling trainers. You wouldn't mind putting this to use and giving some feedback at the end of your journey, would you?"

"Not at all!" Bianca beamed. "This seems really useful already! Thank you, Black!"

"… Admittedly, this does seem like it will serve a significant purpose." Cheren responded, shutting the map and tucking it away. "Thank you."

"Thanks." Hilda muttered curtly.

"Oh!" Bianca suddenly said. "Black, do you have a X-transceiver?"

"I do, actually." Black said, looking a little surprised by her question.

"That's great! Maybe we should all exchange numbers in order to keep in touch!"

Hilda could feel her entire spine twitch. She did't want this jerk's number on her new device, no way, no how. But before she could protest, Bianca and Black were trading numbers. Soon, Cheren was in the process of exchanging numbers, and Black looked expectedly to her with that same smile on his face.

"Fine." Hilda huffed, rattling off her number. "But I swear to the almighty Arceus, if I get more than two calls from you a day, I'm blocking you!"

"I'll use those two calls a day respectfully." Black responded. "Now then, are you heading up to Accumula, or do you want to head home for anything else?"

"I-I think I'm gonna head off!" Bianca said quickly. "I already said my goodbyes and all!"

"I concur." Cheren responded. "Hilda?"

"I think I'm good." Hilda said slowly.

"Great!" Black clapped his hands together. "I'm going to go ahead of you, if you don't mind. I want to see what kind of pokémon I can add to my team."

With a polite wave, Black turned around and began heading towards the exit.

"He seems really nice!" Bianca said with a bright grin. Cheren didn't say anything, though his eyes were blazing behind his glasses. Hilda wanted to tease him, as she thought him incapable of jealousy, but there was nothing. Because something about Black was rubbing her the wrong way.

"Are you okay, Hilda?" Bianca asked.

"I'm fine. I just don't like him, that's all." Hilda shrugged. Bianca furrowed her brow.

"He seems nice…"

Again, Hilda shrugged. Not even she could place why she didn't like Black. It was driving her nuts.

"Let's get going." she said, hoping to switch off of the subject of Black and back to the task at hand; starting their journey.

"Oh boy…!" Bianca exclaimed. "For some reason, my heart is pounding, Hilda. What are you and Oshawott and Eevee gonna do?"

"Become rich!" Hilda responded immediately as they continued down the path to Route One. On the border of their town and the route, Hilda swore she could just barely make out Black's blue jacket. She could only hope she was wrong. As she was about to step foot onto the route...

"Wait, Hilda!" Bianca latched onto her arm. "Don't you remember the promise we made six years ago?"

"She probably doesn't." Cheren responded for her, pushing his glasses up his nose. "She was half asleep then, remember?"

"Dammit, Cheren, if you two didn't rudely wake me up-"

"If we didn't though, you'd sleep all day." Bianca pointed out. Hilda scowled.

"Anyways," Cheren cleared his throat, trying to get everything back on track. "Bianca said if we're starting a journey, she wants us all to take out first step at the same time."

"Remember way back when we used to walk in sync?" Bianca asked. Hilda remembered, back before puberty hit and everything got awkward. They would lock their arms around each others neck so they stood in a row, then walk in total sync until either Cheren got embarrassed because he was in the middle, or Bianca tripped, taking the two of them down with her. "I want to do that again. For our first steps on our journey!"

Hilda couldn't help but grin at Bianca's request. Something about everything she requested was so adorably innocent, saying no would be like saying no to an injured pokémon.

"Then for old times sake," Hilda exclaimed, elbowing Cheren closer to Bianca. "Get in the center, Cheren!"

"Excuse me?" Cheren demanded. "It's hardly proper for-"

"Proper? What is this, the fifties? Stranger things have been seen in Unova, and besides," she placed a finger to her cheek. "I'm to impatient and I'll go to fast. And Bianca is to clumsy, and if she trips, we all go down."

"You're the most patient, Cheren, so you're perfect for the middle!" Bianca insisted, bowing at the waist. "Please, Cheren? Pleeeaaaaase?"

And there, Cheren's ears went red ahead, barely seeable behind his hair. His look slowly morphed from a strict no to an almost soft look, before it snapped back to his usual serious face and crossed his arms.

"Fine. But only the first few steps, understand?"

"Yay! Thank you, Cheren!" Bianca grinned.

And, just like they did when they were kids, with Hilda on the right and Bianca on the left, the three took their first steps onto Route One. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw her friends smiling, Bianca's smile like a ray of sunshine while Cheren's was more subtle, but there. Hilda knew she was grinning too.

And that was when it hit her like lightening. The reason why she couldn't bring herself to like Black. While he seemed charming and perfectly kind, his smile was off.

And the reason his smile was off was because, with all the smiles he showed, the smile never quite reach his eyes, not even once.

o.0.o.0.o

 _Current Teams_

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I really wanted to display Hilda's good relations with her parents in this part of the Saga. Leaf and Lyra got a pretty shit relationship with their parents. Both their dads are dead-one to murder and one to suicide. While Leafs mother is loving and caring, she is emotionally weak due to everything that happened to her family. Lyra's mother couldn't give to hoots however.**

 **Hilda, however, is close to her mother and while she doesn't know her father very well, she can respect him and doesn't loathe him for choosing to travel. If anything, she can understand.**

 **And I totally villianized Bianca's father. Whoops.**

 **On the flipside, I really want to focus on Sara and Lookers father-daughter relationship. Due to the events in the last saga, Sara's really gonna need the support.**

 **Overall, I think this story will have a lot about relationships between parents, a lot more than I intended. Also, her new design should be up soon. It's very slick with hints quirky. I quite like it. This would have been out sooner, but I was pouring work into Sara's concept art, as well as her bio. That should be up soon, however, so stay posted!**

 **Finally, Professors Juniper's sister. The reason I named her Naomi is because that's the name of Juniper's Japanese voice actor, Naomi Shindō.**

 **Also, this cute little tidpit that I found:** ** _According to game scenario author Toshinobu Matsumiya, Hilbert and Hilda were initially visualized to be at the age of 16._**

 **Found that on bulbapedia. Guess my "sixteen age limit" on pokémon trainers in Unova wasn't to far off. I'm only saying this in order to keep track of the ages of the characters in case I do a timeskip or something(which may or not become a thing).**

 **And finally, the introduction of Black. I hope I made him interesting enough to have everyone keep reading!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	4. Team Plasma

**So I decided to take an even longer trip down nostalgia road outside of replaying Black. Yes, I dug up one of my first completed fanfictions, which was a rendition of this one.**

 **Holy shit, wow. First off, it was Chessshipping. Once a shipper always a shipper, I guess. But instead of Hilda and Hilbert, their names were Anna and Noah. And while N was kept to his true character, Cheren and Bianca were just plot tools with dialogue. They had no purpose other than having "Anna" wreck them. And I totally mary-sued Hilda, if that was possible. Everything was so cliche, and, apparently, it is a two-part story because I ran out of room in one notebook. I left it on a cliffhanger where "Anna" decided to sacrifice herself by throwing herself off her Swanna because Team Plasma was attacking them mid-flight.**

 **I couldn't find the second notebook.**

 **So I guess I'll never know the full extent of my original, cringy writing.**

 **What's even funnier is that I dug out fanfiction** ** _older_** **than that one. Like, shit I wrote when I was ten and thought the anime was good. I found my** ** _very, very_** **first fanfiction and… wow. Apparently, I used to ship Pearlshipping before I found out Ikarishipping was a thing.**

 **Also, Sara's art is now out on my deviantart, AmytheEeveeLover! Be sure to check out Vale's art and profile too!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon. She only owns her OCs and the corresponding art for said OCs.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda could only stare in disdain out of the corner of her eye as she walked alongside Black. He was happily whistling a tune that was driving her absolutely nuts and was swinging his arms back and forth like everything was fine and dandy.

It started with a simple challenge, really. Once they had taken exactly ten steps onto route one, Cheren decided he was done with the childish antics and untangled himself from the two girls. Bianca whined about him being a killjoy and Hilda snickered at him adjusting his jacket, trying to appear unflustered.

He rambled something about getting to Accumula, and Hilda agreed. She wanted to see what the prices were on pokéballs and stuff. After all, she only had the stuff her dad sent her for her sixteenth birthday back in September and the items Professor Juniper had kindly gifted to them as a 'trainers starting pack'. She knew how fickle some pokémon where when it came to catching them, and she didn't want to waste all of her items on one battle then not have enough money to buy more.

However, Bianca instead issued a challenge. She insisted they see who could catch the most pokémon before they reached Accumula Town. Hilda could almost immediately tell that she wasn't doing this because she actually wanted to compete… No, Hilda was certain that she wanted to search all across Route One to see if that Litwick was still around.

With her back turned, Cheren had the most pitiful look on his face. He glanced over at her, nodding towards Bianca, as if asking if they should just break the news to her. Hilda shrugged. While she was one to be frank and honest, she didn't want to be the one to break her heart like that. Plus, she didn't want Bianca to give up before she even started.

Cheren sighed, and suggested that they split up. Bianca grinned and immediately went right where Hilda thought she would; the direction Litwick went. Cheren massaged his temples for only a moment before he went in the same direction, not technically following her, but keeping close enough to make sure she didn't get hurt.

Hilda chose to go in the opposite direction, but failed to really find anything worth catching. After all, all that was on Route One were generic 'pet pokémon'; Lillipup, Purllion, and Patrat. She didn't expect anything better, and didn't plan on really catching anything.

Unfortunately, she ran headlong into Black, and he was perfectly happy to annoy the crap out of her. Honestly, he wasn't even that annoying, he just had that damn air about him that drove her absolutely nuts!

"Can you stop that?" she demanded. He abruptly stopped whistling, and smiled at her.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Might as well," Hilda snapped back. "You're going to ask anyways, aren't you?"

"Oh, I will, but I'm glad I got your permission first."

He smiled. She scowled.

"Well?" she snapped impatiently.

"Ah, yes." Black shoved his hands in his pockets and turned fully towards her. "Why is it that you don't like me?"

"Oh gee, you caught on?" Hilda asked sarcastically. "Well, damn. I hoped I could hide it!"

"Don't you have a vibrant personality?" he mused.

"Yeah I do, what's it to you?" Hilda snapped back.

"That was a compliment."

"Don't care."

There was a pause in the conversation.

"So, are you going to answer my question?"

"I don't know, you're so…" she waved her hand in the air. "I just don't like you! You're to polite! To freaking nice to everyone! Plus you totally flirted with Bianca, _in front of us!_ And that stupid smile of yours pisses me off!"

"… So from what I'm getting," Black said slowly. "You dislike me because of my overall maturity and how I'm much more mature than you, thus, in turn, you feel as if you are speaking to another adult rather than a peer."

"Go to hell, that is not what I said!" Hilda snapped at him. "I could care less if you were six, sixteen, or sixty, if I have something to say to you, I'l tell it like it is! And I think," she jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You're a damn creep for flirting so blatantly with Bianca!"

"Why are you so caught up on that?" Black asked, not even phased by how hard she jabbed him. "Her name was fitting and beautiful, and I told her just that."

"You made a damn pass at her!"

"I had no such intentions."

Hilda look him in the eye, and scowled. His smile seemed genuine, but his eyes were less than that. They were deceitful, and whatever his intentions were, they were less than genuine.

"You're lying."

"Now why would I do that?"

"If I knew I would tell you." Hilda glared at him, then turned and walked away.

"Are you jealous?" Black asked. Hilda stopped, then slowly turned and looked over her shoulder. Black waved his hand through the air, and for a moment, the gentle smile was replaced by something else. Something more arrogant, almost. "If you want, I could weave together something sweet that would make your heart jump."

Hilda could feel her rage bubble for a moment, but she slowly exhaled, then smiled.

"Thank you for that." she said in a cheeky voice. "Because now I know any compliment you decide to give me will never be genuine, so don't even try."

"Is that a challenge?" Black asked, his arrogance seemingly bolstered. Yet he kept his gentle smile and tone of voice. With his head bowed, he spoke as if this were a joke to him. "Because I'll have you know that I never back down from a challenge."

Hilda kept her distance, but Black continued.

"I have connections, Hilda. Connections that you couldn't even imagine." slowly, he raised his head. Hilda narrowed her gaze. Again, the gentle smile, like a perfected look of honesty and integrity. And yet, his eyes gleamed with arrogant pride. "So, allow me to propose a bet."

That caught her ear.

"What are we betting?" she asked.

"Now, now, patience, Hilda." he said. "It's a virtue, you know. Lets set our ground rules first. In my office, the bet is that any girl who can resist my charms for more than three hundred days will get a substantial reward. The reward is bolstered every time I get someone else to say 'I love you'."

"So what, I have to go three hundred days without becoming putty in your hands?" Hilda snorted. "Alright then. Sure. And where do you work? A burger joint? What makes you think I'd want your three hundred dollar bet?"

"What makes you think I work at a burger joint and the bet is that small?" Black asked.

"Dude, you're like, my age. In other words, you're barely qualified to be a trainer, let alone have a well-paying job."

"Well, by Unovian standards, yes." Black responded. Hilda wasn't sure how she was supposed to take that. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, then averted her gaze.

"For record purposes," Hilda said slowly. "How much is the reward at?"

"Oh, let's see…" Black looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing at the sky as he fiddled with the brim of his hat. "Hmm… With the prize getting bolstered every time someone falls for me, and considering this has been going on for a few years now…" he brought his gaze back to hers. "I think we're bordering about a hundred grand now."

"A h-hundred grand?" she gaped. Black smiled. "As in… one hundred _thousand?"_

"Yes." he cocked his head. "Interested?"

"How much do these people put into this damn bet?!"

"Well, the last girl was a particularly stubborn one. Very cold…" he closed his eyes, shutting her off from what he felt. He smiled again. The picture of innocence and warmth. "But once you jump past a few barriers, she was like a cute little Lillipup. A lot of people were riding on her to be the one to not crack. But they were wrong. And so, that really wracked up the price on the bet. And with each day they go without falling for me, the price of the personal bet goes up. Obviously, she lasted pretty long. Obviously, she lost."

His tone was gentle and light, like it was funny that his co-workers had formed such a bet. But when he opened his eyes, they betrayed his smile and tone of voice. They were full of confidence and blatant arrogance. He was proud that he managed to create this record.

"So let me understand this," Hilda said slowly. "On hundred thousand dollars if I manage to not, quote unquote, say I love you, right?"

"Plus the additional funds going in considering how long you last." Black said enticingly, like when she did when she with food when she wanted Eevee to behave.

"And, Arceus forbid, I do fall for you, what am I loosing? My dignity?"

"For the most part, yes. That's what happens with most of the girls." Black's eyes flickered with interest. Hilda waited, she knew he had something else to say. "But I want to spice things up a little bit, this time around."

Hilda felt her mouth form into a now signature smirk, a smirk she only wore when she knew a profit was at hand.

"State your terms loverboy, I'm not afraid."

And at that moment, his tone changed to a more… mischievous tone with malicious intent. Or a sadistic tone with a lighthearted air. She wasn't quite sure, but somehow he managed to make his, no doubt, unenjoyable terms sound almost… pleasant.

"If you say 'I love you', before the three hundred days are up, then you have to travel with me for three hundred days. No more, no less. So, Hilda," he held out his hand. "Do you want to play?"

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda had decided to take his bet, simply because she was confident in her ability to avoid admitting anything more than utter hatred towards him. Let him try all his tricks to wrack up a hundred grand reward, she'd be the one to dodge them all.

She had turned sixteen on September eighteenth and she honestly had her license at the end of December. But with Cheren's sixteenth birthday falling in January and Bianca's later on in April, they didn't collectively recieve their licenses until June. Apparently, it took time for processing or whatever, and plus, they needed all those hair and DNA samples, along with confirmed X-rays of teeth in case they ended up dead or something.

It was all a horribly long affair, beginning with all those disappearances of children that started when she was about a year old. After about, three years of this, that's when all the DNA stuff began. When she was eight, they raised the ages of obtaining a license, and it apparently varied from region to region, based on what Bianca's newest friend, Vale confirmed. Hilda had learned that, in some regions, it became an almost ritual thing. The kid comes out, they take hair samples and all that jazz, then updates it when they obtain their license.

It was a very nutty world they lived in.

But that was besides the point. Currently, it was the beginning of June, a lovely time to start a journey with the warm weather Unova often had. So if she did the math right, this stupid bet would be over about mid March of next year. Which she was totally okay with, because she had enough resilience to not be taken down by his stupid game. She wanted to see him loose this bet, and hand her that sweet, sweet money.

"Hilda!" Bianca was bouncing happily as she waited on the edge of the Accumula. "Oh, and Black too! You found Black!"

"Unfortunately." Hilda sighed.

"Did you catch anything new?" Cheren asked. Hilda glanced back over Route One.

"Not really. I didn't see anything of interest." she shrugged. "I figured if I wan't going to use it in battle, I may as well not catch it."

"That's really sweet." Bianca said.

"Or practical." Cheren said. Bianca pouted to him.

"Cheren…"

"What about you, Bianca?" Hilda asked, turning her attention back to her blond friend. Bianca's entire face went from a sad pout to a bright smile.

"Hilda, it's so great!" Bianca said excitedly, bouncing on her feet. "I found Wick!"

"Wick?" Hilda furrowed her brow. "Oh my Arceus, that Litwick?!"

"Yeah, she waited for me! Six whole years…" Bianca's eyes glassed over for a moment, then she smiled again, wiping her eyes. "It's just… really, really great!"

"So then, you…?" Hilda trailed off, looking at Cheren.

"Seemingly, Wick and Roggenrola stuck together," Cheren said simply. "As we found them together. There was no sign of the Petalil you caught, Hilda."

"Damn." Hilda sighed, adjusting her ball cap on her head. "It would've been nice to have seen her again."

"Maybe you will!" Bianca said encouragingly. "She's probably out there waiting like Wick and Roggenrola was waiting for us!"

Cheren rolled his eyes behind Bianca. Hilda had a feeling that she knew what he was thinking. Wick and Roggenrola were probably not waiting for them, they probably were having trouble figuring out how to get back to their natural habitat, or maybe they found route one was an easier habitat to live in for them. Either Petilil disliked the environment and moved to one she found more comfortable, or Petilil thrived in this new environment and managed to hide herself from humans very well.

"But hey, isn't this great?!" Bianca beamed, holding her arms out as they stood at the very beginning of pavement, indicating that they were, indeed, in front of Accumula Town. "We're outside Nuvema for a reason other than school! What are you going to do, you guys?"

"Whatever Hilda does is fine with me." Black said immediately. Hilda could feel herself flinch, like she just got snapped back to reality. Over all the happy back and forth banter with her childhood friends, she almost forgot Black was there.

Hilda chose to ignore him. Let him follow her everywhere, she didn't care. Lets see how ballsy he is when she decides to walk straight off a cliff!

"I want to check the prices on items here." Hilda said, crossing her arms. "What about you?"

"I wanna shop for pokéballs!" Bianca said, holding her fists to her chest and bouncing like a child in a candy store. "I read in school that different pokéballs can have different effects in battle, and I think that would be really cool to test!"

And with that, she ran off.

"She's way to excited for her own good." Cheren sighed. "She forgot to mention that Vale will be meeting us here. She's coming down from Striaton now, apparently."

"She got a X-transceiver?" Hilda asked skeptically.

"No, she called from the video phone in the pokémon center. Route Two is pretty short, so she should be here soon."

That made sense, Hilda decided. The only person she knew that was more broke than she was is Vale, after all.

"I'll wait for go try to hurry Bianca along." Cheren sighed. "I already know everything about pokémon centers, but I know Bianca is excited to see Vale again."

"Excited enough to forget she called." Hilda joked. Cheren smiled, only slightly.

"Apparently."

"So I'll wait for Vale?" Hilda asked. Cheren nodded.

"If that's okay with you." Cheren stated. "I know you said you wanted to check prices here, so…"

"Nah, I already know how everything is priced, but I'm wondering if I can get a discount." Hilda shrugged. "So I'll just have you ask and report back to me. That cool?"

"It's fine." Cheren nodded. "Vale's supposed to meet us by that plaza over there." Cheren turned towards a small plateau with a couple benches at the top. "I'll grab Bianca."

"Alright!" Hilda grinned, giving him a two fingered salute as he left. Hilda herself turned on the heel of her boot, walking towards the plateau and climbing up it, then settling on a bench.

"Vale?" Black asked, settling himself next to her. Hilda glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then crossed her arms, making a point to move away from him.

"She's a friend Bianca introduced us to a few months ago. She came from Johto to train here, and has been taking classes with us in order to get her Johtonese license legal in Unova." she walked forward. Black trailed behind her. "The official school is in Striaton though, and she had to go there to get her official lessons."

"I know that." Black responded. "With the official Department of Education being stationed in Striaton, most foreigners need to get their licenses approved there after a few months of classes. For Unovian residents, small schools are stationed in each major city. Those who live in smaller towns such as Nuvema and Undella often travel to cities in order to receive their education. The school in Accumula was only established because the walk from Nuvema to Striaton was far, not to mention Striaton has a lot of people from out of the country coming every day to obtain a legal license."

"Are you from around here?" Hilda asked, point blank. Blacks lips curled up.

"Perhaps." he answered cryptically.

Well, that got her no where. She was curious about where he was from, as he seemed to know about Unova, but that bit about the Department of Education sounded like something he had read from a brochure, maybe even a textbook.

"But seriously though, what's Vale like?"

"Planning on adding her to your trail of broken hearts?" Hilda shot back. Black shook his head.

"Now, now. One heart at a time, unfortunately. Wouldn't want that reward to get to big to fast."

Hilda crossed her arms and leaned back on the bench. Yes, she decided, this was going to put a whole new meaning on the term 'get rich quick'.

"You still haven't answered my question." Black hummed. "Is that normal for you, Hilda?"

"Who says I need to answer your question?" Hilda snapped back. Before Black could answer, however, a couple approached them.

Hilda could only stare at their odd dress. One had red hair that curled around her cheeks and the other had hair that was concealed under a hood. The only way Hilda could describe their clothes was that of a knight, complete with a crest on their chests. They both had gentle and apologetic looks on their faces.

"Excuse us," the male said. "But we've reserved this area for an event, and we need to set up. Would you mind moving somewhere else?"

"Can't you set up around us?" Hilda asked. "We're supposed to meet a friend here, and she doesn't have any way to contact us for a change of plans."

"Never mind her." Black said with a kind smile. Grabbing her by the wrist, he pulled her up and moved aside. "Good luck with your presentation!"

"Hey, asswipe!" Hilda snapped to him, trying to wrench her arm free as he dragged her away from the plateau. "What gives? Hands off!"

Finally, Black dropped her hand, turning to the group that pretty much shoed them away. His mouth was pressed into a firm line as he watched them for a few moments, then he smiled at her.

"I think your friend is on her way." Black said, looking over her. Hilda huffed, turning and looking over her shoulder. True to what he said, Vale's tall form was walking towards them, awkwardly walking around the people that were gathering to watch the strangely dressed people set up for their event. Finally, the tall girl managed to make her way in front of them.

"What's going on?" she asked, turning her body fully to see what was going on.

For whatever reason, Vale always did that, along with jumping if she was suddenly approached from the same side. She, Bianca, and Cheren learned that the hard way when Cheren walked up to her left side to see how she was progressing on her application when they first brought her to Accumula. Vale had whipped around and smacked him straight across the face with her right hand, almost as if it was a involuntary reaction. She was sincerely sorry, and apologized profusely for a week or so, but Cheren's already distrustful opinion on her lowered to an even worse level.

Hilda assumed it was because she couldn't see through the hair that covered her left eye, but then again, she couldn't understand why Vale refused to clip her hair back.

"Some sort of event or another." Hilda responded, placing a hand on her hip. "They kicked us off the plateau. Did you get here okay?"

"Just fine." Vale answered, turning back to them with a small smile. "My license is completely legal now."

"So you're free to battle?" Hilda grinned, looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes." Vale shut her eyes. "But I think when it comes to you, I'll take a raincheck. Bianca already warned me about your compulsive need to battle, win, and collect your profit."

"Aw, damn, that got to you already?" Hilda teased.

"Who's this?" Vale asked, directing his gaze to Black. Hilda glanced at him when he didn't introduce himself, but Black was dead set staring at Vale. His smile had dropped, and he was staring at her with an almost analytic gaze. Hilda elbowed him in the ribs.

"Introduce yourself, asswipe." she hissed. Black seemed to snap out of it then, and smiled warmly.

"My name is Black." he said, holding out his hand.

"Vale." Vale responded, shaking his hand. Mid handshake, Hilda heard Bianca calling to them. Turning to look, she saw Bianca's usual bright colors running towards her. Unfortunately, Bianca tripped and fell just inches before reaching them.

"Aw, man," she whined. Vale offered her a hand, and Bianca gratefully accepted. "So close."

"I heard you have something exciting to tell me." Vale said.

"Yeah!" Bianca grinned. "Hilda, Cheren, you too!"

In unison, the three released their recently obtained pokémon. Hilda made sure to scoop up Oshawott before he decided to cause trouble with Snivy.

"Oh, how cute!" Vale complimented. "I actually got a new addition too, if you want to see."

"Oh, yes!" Bianca beamed. Vale grasped her own pokéball, pressing the button. The capsule popped open, a small yellow ball of fuzz came out. Bianca's face went from excitement to horror and she let out a startled scream. Stumbling back, she scrambled behind Cheren, using him as a human shield. Vale looked utterly confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked, allowing the Joltik to crawl onto her hand and up her arm.

"Bianca, you're sixteen." Cheren chastised. "Don't you think it's about time to get over that fear of bugs?"

"They're creepy!" Bianca shouted, garnering a few looks from people gathering to see what those people from before are planning. "And she's letting it crawl on her!"

"Aw, no." Vale sighed as it crawled up her arm and onto her shoulder. Using her index finger, she rubbed the top of her head. "Joltik is very sweet. He's just a baby."

"He seems smaller than normal." Cheren said, glancing over the pokémon. "Usually they're the about the same size as a humans entire hand, from finger to wrist. But he's barely the size of your palm."

"That's because his egg hatched prematurely." Vale said, continuing to pet the little guy. "Some of the preschool students were hatching eggs as a class project, and one of them dropped his before it was due. They thought he wasn't going to make it for a couple weeks, but after a month in the pokémon center, they thought he would be okay."

"So you adopted him?" Bianca asked timidly. Vale let the little guy crawl onto her hand again.

"Yeah." Vale smiled, turning him around and looking him in the eye. "I think he might have potential, but if not, I think I'll keep him as a pet. He's to adorable to let go."

Suddenly, trumpets went off, similarly to that in which one would hear if royalty was being announced. Everyone snapped to attention, turning fully to the stage. There, banners with that same crest from before was printed. More people dressed as knights stood in a row, and at the ends of the plateau was one grunt each, holding up a banner. The one who had blown on his trumpet had lowered it, opening his mouth to speak.

"Attention, people of Accumula Town!" he announced. "I present to you, Ghetsis Harmonia!"

The grunt stepped aside, and the grunts parted, revealing an older man with angular features, wearing an outfit that was either really elaborate or really gaudy, Hilda couldn't be sure. He was wearing a a white robe, with an elaborately designed brown piece with blue rectangles above it, holding a two-toned cloak with eye patterns above his robe; the left side of his cloak is purple while the right is yellow. He had on brown loafers, and that same crest lays right below the collar of his cloak.

He had pale green hair and his left eye was covered by some sort of red device.

"Good morning, Accumula Town." he said, his voice calm and peaceful. "My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

"The hell is this?" Hilda muttered under his breath. Other people were murmuring the same things, wondering what he meant alnong the lines of pokémon liberation.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

He walked to the right side of the stage to address the people there. At this point, most everyone was nervously and skeptically looking at their pokémon partners.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers... They are forced to fight when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

The murmurs among the crowd almost immediately seized. Hilda looked around in wild anticipation as she waited for someone to say something. But not a word was muttered. Just confused and unsure looks.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"Liberation!" someone shouted. Vale inhaled sharply at that, whipping around towards the voice. Hilda looked at her oddly. Bianca pulled gently at her sleeve.

"You okay, Vale?" she asked under her breath. Vale didn't reply.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals."

He had walked down to their end now, and Hilda made sure to muster up her most ferocious glare. What right did this man have to tell them what was right and wrong? If he thought having pokémon and training pokémon was bad, then he could just not own them. He didn't need to guilt trip everyone else.

And for a moment, it looked almost as if he had paused to look at them. Hilda was sure that she saw them, but Vale took a step back, almost as if the look he was giving them was too much for her.

"Everyone," he said, walking back towards the middle of the stage. "I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

And with that, the grunts parted, allowing Ghetsis to go into the middle of them. Like a human barrier, they surrounded him, banners in hand, and they left the plateau.

"How silly!" one woman suddenly announced, shaking her head. Other trainer murmured the same thing, thinking how weird it was that people actually thought that way.

"Hey, Vale, you okay?" Bianca asked gently. Hilda lifted her gaze towards the taller girl. Vale had gone completely pale, and was shaking. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Vale opened and closed her mouth, as if she couldn't quite decide on what she wanted to say, then abruptly turned on her heel and bolted.

"Hey, Vale-"

Bianca cut herself off as an old man suddenly collapsed to his knees.

"Are you okay?!" Cheren demanded, concerned, considering his age.

"All my life…" the old man sobbed. "All my life I've lived together with dozens and dozens of pokémon. If only I had known how badly they felt…!"

"That's not…" Cheren trailed off, looking unsure on how to respond.

"Mama, should I let go of Lillipup?" Hilda whipped around and saw a child looking tearfully at his mother, begging for advice. His mother calmed him down, telling him no, as Lillipup and he has been together since they were both babies. The pop of a pokéball caught her attention next.

A man in a hoodie had released a liepard. It looked back at him, but he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Come on, just go already." he demanded. "I'm sorry for everything."

The liepard leapt into the bushes. A couple more pops caught their attention. A woman was releasing a lilligant and a man had released a herdier.

"No way…" Hilda muttered under her breath. "No way…! They're letting them go!"

"Just as Ghetsis said." Black muttered under his breath. Up until now, he had been deadly quiet, not saying a word.

"Stay healthy," the man said, waving to the herdier as he walked away from it.

"Hold on a second!" Hilda said, running up behind him. "How long have you known Herdier?! How long has it stayed by your side?!"

A silence.

"Maybe fifteen years?"

"Wha- Mister, I've had one of my pokémon since I was ten years old and I would never release him because of some speech! You're telling me after a decade and a half you're just going to let it go?! All those memories, all the battle you fought, all that love… All of it?!"

"Shut up, brat!" he snapped back at her. "This is the best thing for him. That's what I think. So-" his voice cracked and his shoulder shook. "So some little girl who's barely known the world has no right to say anything!"

Hilda stepped back and watched him go. She looked back at the herdier, who was tearfully looking at his trainers back. She clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails were hurting her palms.

"Hilda, where are you going?" Black demanded, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She slapped his hand away.

"I've made up my mind!" she announced, filled with rage as she turned back to him. "I'm following after Team Plasma, and I'm going to stop them from making more people release their partners!"

With that, she turned and bolted.

 _All my life, I've been told that my pokémon were my partners, an extension of the family! That's what my dad always said! And even if I have less than honorable motives when it comes to battle, and maybe to some extent I see my pokémon as a means to an end in order to make a quick buck, I'll always remember that they are my partners and a part of me!_

 _These Team Plasma jerks… HAVE NO RIGHT TO TRY TO TRY SPLIT THAT BOND! Wether it be with me… or any trainer!_

o.0.o.0.o

 **When writing this chapter, I couldn't help but feel as if Black is like a discount Gary Oak. I don't know if it's because of the thing withe females, but I'm going to try to form a difference between them. Sorta like Gold and Blake(Lack-Two) from the manga. Both are womanizers, but in different senses with different motives.**

 **But holy cow, in order to write down Hilda's monologue about time and when the DNA stuff began for the trainers licenses, I had to go and write out an ENTIRE TIMELINE, one BEFORE the events of the series, including the kidnappings and the death of Obsidian Green. Unfortunately, my head started spinning because I was trying to figure out everyone's ages by the time the events of** ** _The Reality of Serenity_** **takes place, and my head starts spinning. Whoops.**

 **Maybe I should just focus on this story for now? XD**

 **And finally, I'm having trouble with Vale's introduction. Like, I know I rehashed what happened in that beginning disclaimer, so anyone who read it should understand who Vale** ** _is._**

 **Also, the more I write Hilda's sass factor, the more fun I'm having. I think she's my favorite interpretation of a character to date.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	5. N

**Aaaaaah, I love this story. A lot of this story so much.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs and their corresponding art.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda was bolting away from Black, Cheren and Bianca, ignoring them as they cried out for her to come back. Cheren and Bianca were trying to console some of the townspeople who were particularly shaken. She could only pray that Black wasn't following her.

Whirling around a corner, she reached a set of stairs. About ready to jump the whole thing, someone suddenly lashed out and grabbed her upper arm.

"Get the hell off me!" she snapped at them, turning around.

"Hilda, listen to me."

She stopped at how frantic Vale's voice sounded. Her Joltik was still on her shoulder, nervously huddling against her neck. Vale's visible eye was wide and… almost scared. There was still a faint tremble in her hand. Hilda paused, deciding to allow her to say her piece.

"Whatever you do," she said, almost desperately. "Do not confront that man."

"Who, Ghetsis?" Hilda demanded. "Like hell! I'll confront him and I'll smack that smug look off his face!"

Vale sighed, then seemed to switch tactics.

"You can't go and beat them up because they have a different opinion from you. You said it yourself, this is a democracy, and they are entitled to it. So you shouldn't try to-"

"Do you really feel that way, Vale?!" Hilda snapped back. "People are releasing their partners that they've had for years, all over some stupid words that son of a bitch said! Do you really think pokémon are happier if we let them go?!"

"Hilda-"

"That Herdier was crying!" she snapped at her. "That pokémon was crying because he got released and told to leave! People aren't releasing their pokémon for the greater good, they're releasing them and the pokémon are feeling abandoned! I don't get their logic, or how they came to that conclusion, but I don't think doing this is best for them. So I'm going to give them a piece of mind!"

"Please, Hilda, I'm begging you. That man is dangerous! You can't confront him if you don't know what you're getting into!"

"What do you know?!"

"A lot more than you think." Vale answered quietly. She cast her eyes downwards, and then looked up at her. Hilda could only stare at her. She looked honestly genuine, but Hilda had a feeling she wasn't telling the whole truth. It was something that she had sensed from Vale since she had met her. She told them just enough information about herself to get by, but there were secrets hidden behind those eyes.

"I don't care," Hilda hissed under her breath. "I'm going to stop them from making anymore of those stupid speeches!"

Then she wrenched her arm free and bolted down the steps, jumping the last three steps and running.

o.0.o.0.o

Vale could feel her heart pounding in nervous fear as she watched Hilda go. She had gone nearly six months without hearing his voice, and suddenly hearing it again brought upon an entirely new sense of anxiety and fear.

This man, Mask- No, Ghetsis… Was that simply his true name, or a persona he adopted for this region? And pokémon liberation… Vale had no clue what the sudden change was. A dominant tyrant to a pacifistic man who preached to the people? The change was to sudden, to sudden to happen over the course of six months.

Vale squeezed her eyes shut. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong here. But she knew that voice… It was a voice that she would never forget. Because she lived out years of her life wishing for a compliment and wishing for praise and working for it…

And she was never, ever going to forget that voice. And the fact that she could finally put a face to that voice…

She wasn't sure if she was unsettled or if she was relieved. On one hand, she didn't have to match that voice to that joker like grin anymore. On the other, the face she was matching it too was hardly settling. Because she was certain he recognized who she was. And no matter how she looked at it, that gaze was going to forever be unsettling.

A pop resounded from her belt, causing her to open her eyes.

"Audino?" she asked gently, staring at the pink pokémon. Audino stood for a moment, humming worriedly under her breath, then began running towards the steps. "Audino?! Hey, Audino!"

Vale halted at the top of the steps, nervously watching Audio run down them. She knew this… Team Plasma went in this direction. But ever since she received Audino, she never popped out of her pokéball like that. And if… Ghetsis was here, then there was no doubt his son was nearby too.

 _Hood…_

Steeling her nerves, she ran after Audio.

o.0.o.0.o

"Dammit…" Hilda hissed under her breath as she slowed to a run. Where did those jerks go? No way they could have skipped town so easily… Subconsciously, she squeezed her arms tighter. Those damn Plasma pricks… Don't they know that some pokémon are just fine with their human companions? Pokémon and humans have coincided together for years. Why should they stop working together now?

Maybe it was because there were people in this world that truly did abuse pokémon. But just because a handful of people were total jackasses didn't mean that the entirety of humanity was!

Oshawott, who had been in her arms the entire time, suddenly began struggling. Hilda realized that she was squeezing him to tightly, almost immediately releasing him. Oshawott hopped to the ground, glaring at her.

"Sorry, bud." she said, kneeling down to make eye contact. "Didn't mean to go and squeeze you like that."

Oshawott looked at her warily, then seemed to shrug, running back to her. Holding his little paws in her hands, Hilda grinned.

"You know what? Eff Team Plasma! Those Plasma pricks can take their stupid ideals or whatever and shove it!" picking up Oshawott, she gently tossed him in the air before catching him. "Because all that matters is us, and we'll just set things right if they decide to mess everything up again! Right?"

Oshawott seemed to cheer, and Hilda grinned. As she turned, a flash of green caught her eye, and she looked down. There, was none other than a Petilil, cheering alongside them happily. Hilda cocked her head slightly as the Petilil seemed to continue to chatter. Hilda furrowed her brow.

"Are you-"

" _Hil-da! Hil-da! Hil-da!"_

She cut herself off when the little grass-type seemed to chant her name happily.

"Did you just…" Hilda shook her head. "No way."

"That pokémon…" she heard a voice say behind her. "Your Pokémon... Just now, it was saying..."

"Yeah, okay." Hilda sighed, not even bothering to turn. "First off, slow down a bit. You're talking way to fast. Second off, looneybin, pokémon can't talk."

"Yes, they can." the voice continued. A silence. The next words were close, almost right next to her ear. "Oh. Then, you can't hear it, either... How sad."

Hilda whipped around, ready to uppercut the jerk who was creeping up on her.

"Come out, asswipe!" she shouted. "Where the hell are you hiding?! Who-!"

Hilda cut herself off as an explosion went off right in front of her face.

o.0.o.0.o

Black looked back and forth frantically, trying to find Hilda or Vale. He shouldn't have allowed them to run off like that! Vale seemed calm and composed, but she was running away, so he wasn't as worried about her as he was about Hilda. Hilda, however, was rash and hot-blooded. He had her figured out in an hour, and she was going to get herself hurt!

Team Plasma… Those guys may seem peaceful at first glance, but he knew for a fact that they would be underhanded if he had too.

A sudden explosion caught his attention, and Black skidded to a halt. Looking over a bridge, he widened his eyes as he saw Hilda go flying with an Eevee landing on his feet next to her. He winced when she hit the wall, yet surprisingly, she managed to stagger to her feet. Funny, most girls he knew would have burst into tears.

Slowly, he smirked. But he had a feeling… Hilda wasn't a stereotypical girl. Regardless, though, he wasn't about to let some jerk beat her up, Team Plasma or no.

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda slammed into the wall after a particularly strong attack caught her totally off guard. Oshawott landed deftly next to her feet, and the Petilil from before was standing next to Oshawott.

"What are you doing?!" Hilda snapped to her. "Don't get caught up in this fight, you'll get hurt!"

Petilil started saying something that she didn't understand. She wasn't sure if what she heard earlier was accurate or not, but she wasn't going to think about that now. The jerk who attacked her was talking again.

"She's speaking again." he said over the sounds of battle. "Your pokémon… Allow me to hear their voices!"

"Hilda!" she jumped slightly, looking up only to see Black hurtling towards her. At first, she was gaping, because a pokémon that she's never seen before was flying him down in it's claws. She knew it as Unovian, but she had no clue what it was. She scrambled for a moment, then it hit her. An archeops, a fossil pokémon.

She got over her awestruck tone however and scowled.

"Just one prick after another." she sighed under her breath. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I should be asking you!" Black shot back. "Why are you fighting?!"

"Some creep just whispered in my ear and when I decided to sucker punch him, he vanished and attacked me!" Hilda said, standing battle ready. "He keeps saying crazy things like 'Let me hear your pokémon's voice' or some crap! And what's worse is that he's absurdly strong!"

When the smoke cleared, a Purlion stood there.

"I know what the pokémon is, and I know what the attacks are… But for Arceus's sake, his attacks aren't normal! They're way to strong to be countered in a normal battle!"

"This is hardly a normal battle then, is it?" Black muttered under his breath as he stood at his side. "Then how can we…"

"You can't win."

Hilda snapped her head up and saw a young man walking towards them. He was tall and lanky, no doubt standing at six feet. Long, light green hair was tied into a thick, bushy ponytail with hair that framed his face. His eyes were shaded by a white and black ballcap. He was wearing a white, mid-sleeved shirt with a black shirt under it, a pair of green slip on shoes and beige pants. A cube was attached to a chain near his left hip. On his right wrist was a black and white bracelet and on his left wrist was a yellow rectangular tri-bracelet. A blue and black pendant was around his neck.

"The reason you can't win," he continued. "Is because… you always… shut your pokémon in those pokéballs."

His face was blank, and he wasn't looking them in the eye. He was looking past them, almost as if he didn't even want to look at him. He was still speaking quickly, even with the pauses in his words.

"Purlion," he continued. "Sucker Punch."

Hilda cursed as the Purlion came and smacked Oshawott against the head, then slammed him into the concrete. Taking out Eevee's pokéball, she released it to fight. What her opponent did next was surprising. Instead of pulling out pokéballs, he instead waved his hands through the air with gestures. Faintly, she could hear him whistling.

Almost immediately, three more pokémon appeared before him. A Pidove, a Tympole, and a Gurdurr.

There was a silence. Her pokémon stood protectively in front of her, and Black's Archeops circled dangerously overhead. She was trying to make eye contact with her opponent, trying to see what he was thinking. But all she saw was something like… disdain behind those pale blue eyes. His frown mirrored this.

Suddenly, something vibrated in her pocket. Hilda, keeping her cool, reached into her pocket and pulled out the pokédex. She cast only a moments glance at the screen. Apparently, it was registering what she had encountered, even from a distance. So was that what that buzzing was every time she encountered a new pokémon…

"Is that," his voice seemed to seethe at this point. Hilda brought her gaze back up, and saw his eyes were wide, but his tone hinted at rage. "A pokédex? Do you realize,"

Before Hilda could comprehend what had happened, he was in front of her. She put up her arm defensively and Black made a move to help, but his pokémon leapt into action as a distraction. For one brief moment, he whistled, faintly, and suddenly, they were flocked by Pidove's.

"How many pokémon," he continued, snatching the wrist of the arm that was holding the pokédex and pulling it towards him. This almost forced them to make eye contact. "Were shut up in pokéballs? Many, many of _my friends_ were shut up in pokéballs for the sake… of a device like this!"

o.0.o.0.o

 _Shortly after we arrived home in Unova, father told me that it was time for me to lead Team Plasma. Whilst we were in Johto, he wanted to keep me close and keep me safe, but to see the true horrors of trainers and how they hurt their pokémon._

 _Ever since I was young, I've been surrounded by friends hurt by humans. And father told me I could never trust them, because humans are deplorable. They would hurt their partners, their kin, everyone as long as it was an advantage to themselves. But more than ever, I was surrounded by friends who were hurt._

 _And I cried alongside them, because they didn't want to exist. They wanted to stop living because it was to painful. But I wanted them to be happy. To feel free._

 _…_

 _I unintentionally ran into a human like that once. As I walked towards the alter to accept my crown and my position, I thought of her. My father called her a monster, how she was a force of destruction. ...And he was right. The way she commanded in her pokémon in battle was terrifying. She scared me, to some extent._

 _And yet, her pokémon weeped, not because they were hurting, but because their trainer was hurting._

 _She was… a friend…_

 _But I knew. I knew that the minute that crown was placed upon my head that I could no longer think of her as anything but an enemy. Because I knew that if she couldn't join in my cause, I could not have her in my life._

 _And yet… I wondered why I still held on to that pokémon that she gave me when we parted…_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda wrenched her arm free when his eyes glassed over, almost as if he were remembering something. Scowling, she tucked the pokéball away and ordered Oshawott and Eevee to attack. Her gaze glanced over the area of gray feathers, trying to find the Petilil. Faintly, she saw a spot of green, and she dove for it.

"Outta my way!" she grunted, scooping up the little pokémon and landing. "Oshawott, Razor Shell! Eevee, Quick Attack"

Oshawott came forward, swatting the birds aside to get back to her side. Eevee did the same thing, struggling to get back to their trainer. Hilda stood, cradling the Petilil, who was barely hanging onto consciousness.

" _Hil… da…"_

 _"Stupid jerks really messed her up…!"_

Hilda wasn't sure how to comfort Petilil, but she was confused when she heard a male voice in her head. Assuming it came from Oshawott, who was clenching his paws angrily.

"Who are you?!" Hilda demanded. "Are you saying that the pokédex and pokéballs cause pokémon to suffer?!"

"Yes," he said softly. The Pidove dispersed just enough for them to hold a civil conversation, but not enough to allow Black to intervene. "… In Johto, there were recently four trainers given titles. They are known as the 'Secondary Dexholders', and one of them was titled the Catcher. From what I understand, she captured many pokémon for data… And their captivity served only to prove as evidence for her title… And every pokémon captured for the pokédex is just to fulfill the desire of completing the ever growing pokédex."

One Pidove landed on his outstretched arm. He looked at it sadly.

"They are then locked up in those pokéballs…" he raised his gaze. "Isn't that what happens?"

He didn't sound to sure of himself. He slowly raised his hand, placing it over his eyes, and tilted his head back.

"As a trainer myself, I often find myself asking questions. Like, are my pokémon happy this way? After all, if the pokémon is locked up in those balls, then it's voice can't be heard."

"Who are you?" Hilda implored. He slowly let his hand slip from his face until it dangled loosely at his side. Slowly, he brought his gaze back to hers.

"My name… is N." he finally said.

"If you're so against pokéballs…" Hilda said, looking down at his belt. There, was a single, lone pokéball, worn from age. "Then what is that on your belt?"

His eyes suddenly snapped wide, and just as quickly, his arms suddenly shot outwards, and with that movement, his pokémon lashed out. Hilda had a feeling she had hit a sensitive subject.

"Listen to the voices of your pokémon! Listen! Listen before they loose the ability to speak in those pokéballs!"

Hilda scowled and shot one of her arms out towards the fight.

"If all of this talk about 'listening to their voices' is just some half-assed way to fight… Then just ask me to battle to my face!" she found herself screaming in frustration. "Oshawott, Razor Shell! Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

The two attacks lashed out, knocking a few of his pokémon back.

"No more weird lectures about pokémon talking! No more sneaking tactics! If it's a battle you want it's a battle you'll get!" thrusting out one of her arms, she pointed at him. "I'm going to make myself rich by winning every single battle I come across! I can't stand all your talk about the pokédex and pokéballs, because it's nothing more than an excuse!"

More attacks lashed out, some blew past him, his hair lifting off his cheeks.

"It's your excuse to now be as strong as you can be! So stop-"

Hilda cut herself off as Gurrdurr suddenly appeared in front of her, it's iron bar over his head. Her mouth was agape for a moment before the pokémon in her arms suddenly glowed. Then a beam of golden light cut Gurrdurr off, sending it hurtling back.

"Was that…" Hilda asked, staring down at the panting pokémon. "A Solar Beam?"

" _Hil-da… proud?_ "

"Very proud." Hilda suddenly found herself saying softly. "You're going to be okay, Petilil."

"You tell me I hide behind excuses." N said when she brought her gaze back up. "But you… rely on arrogance to beat your foes. Arrogance and data from that accursed pokédex. All you need to do… Is open your heart, use your ears… and listen."

Hilda glared at him and N continued.

"I can hear the voice that Gurrdurr is conveying to me. Of course, I can hear your pokémons voices as well. That's why I know which attacks will do the most damage at the exact moment. I know their voices without having to check everything. That is why you… can't win against me."

He bowed his head, fists shaking.

"Eevee… Oshawott… and Petilil…" his eyes were suddenly wide, almost like he was remembering something terrifying. With his next words, Hilda wasn't sure if he was addressing her pokémon, or some other pokémon. "Everyone is suffering. Everyone is suffering because they can't convey the voices to their trainer. Disregarding their own wishes, and using them whenever it's convenient for you… Pokémon…" he released a shuddery breath. "Pokémon are only unhappy when they are together with humans!"

"Is that what you really believe?!"

The new voice that entered the battle caught everyone's attention. An Audino suddenly entered the field, trotting right up to N and tugging at his pant leg. N looked down at the pokémon with a gentle smile. Vale climbed down the last of the steps, jogging up to them. However, before she could get close, the Pidove that were preoccupying Black suddenly shot out and kept her from any closer.

"Stay back." N said simply. "My business no longer concerns you."

"It does!" Vale insisted. "Not all trainers are bad, you _know_ that! Do you see any unhappiness in Hilda's pokémon?!"

N was deadly silent. He refused to turn around.

"If you are who I think you are," Vale continued, boldly taking a few steps forward. "Then you remember our last conversation, right? You said-"

"What I said is meaningless, Vale! I have no need for a traitor such as yourself!" N suddenly yelled, anger lacing his voice. A deadly silence fell over the entire battlefield. Vale looked unfazed by what he spat at her, almost like she expected something like that. A heavy silence.

"Pokémon out there exist," Black suddenly said slowly. "Who need and wish for a trainer."

"That's right!" Hilda exclaimed. "It's natural for pokémon to crave battles and guidance from and care from a trainer, just as it's natural for someone like me to wonder about pokémon! Thats the point of a pokédex, to help me learn about pokémon, because I care about them! This," she whipped out her pokédex. "Is a tool for humans to get to know pokémon better! And I'm proud to journey through Unova, with my pokémon, with this device!"

Tucking the device away again, Hilda stood bold and proud.

"I can't hear those voices you keep talking about, but that's why I need a pokédex and pokéballs to understand my pokémon! Eevee, Oshawott!" Hilda shouted. Her pokémon leapt forward. "Show them what we can do! Win, and show them that we understand each other just fine! _Make him understand!_ "

As the two ran forward Pidove and Tympole made a move to fight. Eevee leapt up and bit into Pidove's wings and brought her while Tympole released an Echoed Voice. Oshawott pushed through the pain, and then, slashed at Tympole. Tympole was sent flying back, hitting N in the chest and causing him to stumble back. His hat fell from his head and fluttered to the ground. The entire time, his eyes were wide with surprise. Oshawott, exhausted, collapsed on his back.

"Oshawott!" Hilda exclaimed, unintentionally shoving Petilil into Black's arms and running towards the water type. As she scooped the water type N began muttered quickly under his breath again.

"I never would have thought… So… more pokémon who say something like that…?"

"They can be surprising, can't they?" Vale suddenly said, bending down and picking up his hat. Audino had rushed back to N's side, checking over him like a mother. Brushing off some dirt, she held it out to N. "Isn't it crazy how quickly some of them bond? I think on this journey… I'd like to forge my own bonds like that."

N narrowed his gaze at her, but stood, snatching his hat and putting it back on his head. Refusing to so much as look at her, he turned.

"Purlion, Pidove, Gurrdur," he said quietly. Looking to the flock under still fluttering around the hesitantly, he whistled a low tune. The pokémon seemed to understand, and they flew off, dispersing. He let out a sigh. "Audino, remain here. The rest of you, we're going home."

"Hold on a minute!" Hilda said, standing up. "You've still gotta-"

What he said next caught her off guard, completely unrelated to the conversation at hand.

"I have found…" N murmured under his breath. "Yet another unsolvable formula."

And like that, he was gone.

"Cheap prick!" Hilda hissed under her breath. "He didn't pay up after I won! Damn him!"

"Well, technically, you didn't win." Black said, returning his Archeops. "You only knocked out one of his pokémon while he knocked out two of yours. If you want to be correct about it, you kinda owe him."

"I do not!" Hilda snapped to him. "And get your grubby hands off Petilil! Poor thing went through thick and thin to reunite with me and I don't need you contaminating her!"

"You gave her to me." Black pointed out. Hilda scowled as she returned Oshawott and Eevee. As quickly and gently as she could, she took Petilil into her arms. "Now then," he turned to Vale and strode towards her, tilting his head up slightly to look her in the eye. "What is your connection to N?"

Vale blinked at him, then her gaze travelled to where N had walked off.

"...N, huh?"

o.0.o.0.o

"You could say N and I are childhood friends. Of sorts." Vale shrugged as they sat in the pokémon center, waiting for their pokémon to be healed. "His father is very... protective and controlling, you could say, and his father really didn't approve of us talking to each other."

"Sounds like someone I know." Hilda muttered under her breath. Vale smiled weakly at her.

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that." Vale sighed, resting her chin in her hand. "As you can probably tell, he's very set in his ideals and beliefs, which I guess are enforced by his father. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he refused to believe me. He ended out last conversation by saying he was going to cut me out of his life completely."

"What a prick." Hilda exclaimed. "You're serious?"

"Yes." Vale shrugged. "But I don't plan on giving up on him, not yet at least."

"… You should." Black said suddenly, having been listening intently the entire time. "He was spouting the same things as those Plasma people."

"He was." Hilda crossed her arms. "All that stuff about liberating pokémon… He's not a part of them, is he?"

"...I couldn't be sure." Vale said slowly. Hilda narrowed her eyes, but didn't call her out on what she thought was a lie.

"It's fine if they make speeches, because they are entitled to the right of free speech." Black said slowly. "But if they actually go around attacking innocent civilians, then it become an issue of them being a terrorist group."

"No," Vale shook her head with a soft smile. "No, N… N's view on this world is innocent in comparison to most. All he wants, I think…" she trailed off, closing her eyes. "N may not think much of us, or of me anymore, but I promise that he's a good guy."

"Do you know anything else?" Black asked.

"Nothing at all." Vale said immediately. With that, she stood. "It's late you guys, and it's been a long day. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take advantage of the free bed." Turning to Hilda, she spoke. "Please make sure Bianca gets word that I'm okay? I know how quickly she worries, and I plan on moving forwards as quickly as possible."

"Will do." Hilda promised, giving her a two fingered salute. Hilda sat back in her chair for a moment. "So what do you think? Is she hiding something?"

"How would I know?" Black responded, smiling at her. "My only focus at the moment is you."

Hilda could feel a temple throb on her head.

"Yeah, goodnight." Hilda stood. Cheekily, she turned and spoke. "I hope Vale's joltik decides to crawl down your throat."

"And I hope that your dreams are filled with nothing more than yours truly." Black replied in the same cheeky tone.

Yeah, right. Hilda thought. More like nightmares.

o.0.o.0.o

 _Current Teams_

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m), Litwik(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale: Audino(f), Joltik(m)

o.0.o.0.o

 **Be grateful for this imedaite update, I'm about to start a long final haul when it comes to my last eight weeks of my freshman year of college.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	6. The Oddity of the Striaton Gym

**So I began estimating a timeline for this stories up to the point of Sun and Moon… And you wanna know what? From my calculations from the planned arks, Sun and Moon will take place** ** _nine years_** **after the end of this story.**

 **That means almost** ** _eleven and a half years_** **since the Beginning with Leaf Green. Calculating the ages, it's so amazingly surprising, because I can't wait to watch everyone grow!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs and their corresponding art.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Vale had purposely woke up early in order to get a head start on her friends. Now that she knew that Mask, no, Ghetsis, was here, she had to stay one step ahead of him if she was to ever convince Hood… N that everything was not fine.

She had a feeling there was an underlying motive, no, she was sure that there was one. And she wasn't sure if it was connected to N's view on how everything his father did was right, or what, but she had to find a a way to get ahead of the game, less she fall behind and get tangled in another one of Ghetsis's manipulations.

So she slowly crept down the stairs, gathered her pokémon from Nurse Joy, and walked out of center. Cool morning air hit her in the face, the sun barely over the crest of the horizon. She had to get to Striaton bright and early if she wanted to be the first to meet. Fennel.

While she was in school and taking classes, a particular conversation had gotten her attention. Students were talking about a woman, relatively well known in Striaton, who was researching dreams. But her subject of research wasn't what caught Vale's attention, but rather, what they said this woman was capable of. That she apparently was researching into manipulating dreams alongside trying to figure out how to unlock certain memories via dreams.

As far fetched as it may have seemed, perhaps Vale could figure out a way to build up some sort of defense, any defense against Ghetsis and his mental manipulation. Even a silver of a mental wall would be a small comfort. And, if that was an impossibility, maybe she could get Fennel to delve into her past via dreams, and maybe scrounge up a memory before being a part of the Masked Rockets.

Adjusting the small bag she had over her shoulder, she barely took three steps into the street before someone cleared their throat behind her. Pausing, the glanced over her right shoulder.

"Well, isn't this surprising."

Vale narrowed her eyes as Black stood straight. Previously, he was leaning casually against the wall of the pokémon center, as if he were waiting for someone. Taking a few steps forward, he kept his hands in his sweatshirt pockets, smiling at her.

"And here I thought the first to go would have been Hilda. But then again, she's at least got motive to avoid me. Why are you leaving early?"

"Never heard of an early start?" Vale shot back slowly, turning fully to face him.

"But you don't want to wait for your friends?" Black asked, his voice sympathetic.

"I'll keep in touch with them." Vale responded. "I want to get moving early though, because there is nothing here that concerns me much anymore."

"Not even your friends?"

"You shouldn't keep using them as bargaining chips, you're going to make me feel bad." Vale said with a weak chuckle. "But if it really concerns you, just tell them I'm heading up to Straiton City and we can meet there. Have a nice day… Black."

With that, Vale turned and began walking away. For whatever reason, she dared to look back. A shiver shot up and down her spine as she made eye contact with Black. He was dead set staring at her, a smile on his face, but the look in his eye was almost…

She couldn't place it, but she had a feeling she shouldn't feel that unsettled simply because he was watching her go.

Shutting his eyes, Black raised his hand in a half wave. Vale felt herself walking a little bit faster, having trouble shaking her uneasy feeling.

 _This feeling…_

Vale looked over her shoulder as she left town, snapping her gaze this way and that. No one was out, not even the pokémon. Turning forward, she let out a long sigh, trying to calm her nerves.

She knew this feeling. Even as she entered the route gate, she knew that she wasn't going to be escaping Black's… well, she couldn't quite place it. Persistence, maybe? But for whatever reason, she had a sinking feeling that persistence was to innocent a word.

Vale slowly exhaled, then continued on the route back to Striaton. She could feel her hands shake remembering her times with the man previously known as Mask, and what she had done. Whatever Black suspected, she just needed to give him a reason to not suspect her.

But Vale knew very well… She knew so very, very well when she was being followed.

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda dared to peer around the corner of a tree as a dirt route transformed into a cobblestone path. Blue eyes shot across the entrance to Striaton City as she searched for an annoyingly familiar blue jacket and brown hair.

For whatever reason Black was gone this morning, something Hilda was all to happy about. She didn't care why he left, she didn't give two hoots. All the less chance of 'falling' for him, and all the more chance of her raking in that sweet profit. But she knew he _had to_ be out there somewhere. She wasn't sure if he was near her, but it was honestly very hard to cream stupid kids in battle while avoiding that jerk!

But… she didn't see him anywhere along this route.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hilda came out from behind the tree she was hiding behind and stood with her hands on her hips, overlooking this new city.

"Hilda! Hilda, my gosh!" Hilda glanced over her shoulder, seeing Bianca bouncing up to her. The girls look was a cross between irritation and joy, which made Hilda snort back a laugh. Bianca could never pull of a look of irritation.

Bianca stumbled once, but didn't fall. Popping up, she huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"What is it with you guys?! Usually, you're the one left behind, but now it's me!" she sighed. "I woke up at a reasonable time, thought I'd wait for you, only for Cheren to call me and ask where I was! When I said, waiting for you, he asked where. As in, where, in Striaton City!"

"Sorry, sorry." Hilda held her hands up in surrender, feeling a drop of sweat rolling down her temple. No doubt if she didn't pass on her feelings of empathy, Bianca would burst into tears. "Honestly. I guess communications mixed up or something…?"

"Don't lie, you're horrible at it." Bianca accused, pouting. "We were supposed to leave all together, and everyone left me."

"Hey, no need to pout!" Hilda said, clapping her on the shoulder. "If it helps, I have a legitimate reason for leaving, and you know how Cheren is. Always up at six and on his way by seven! Plus, if Vale had a way to communicate with us, she'd probably have told us why she was long gone us, possibly even before Cheren."

"What about Black?" Bianca asked, voice rising slightly, almost hopeful. At the mention of his name, Hilda could feel her stomach drop and twist. Trying to not grimace, Hilda waved her hand through the air.

"Who cares?!" she exclaimed. "What matters is we can contact most everyone-"

"That's right!" Bianca said, fist suddenly landing into her open palm as her eyes lit up. "I can call Black, can't I?"

Hilda watched in horror as Bianca lifted her wrist with her X-transceiver.

"Hey!" Hilda grinned, snatching her wrist. "Let's battle!"

"W-What?" Bianca stammered. "Now?"

"Sure!" Hilda grinned. "I mean, we never actually had an official battle yet, right? Lets fight with all our strength!"

"Right… You're right!" Bianca said, clenching her fists to her chest as her eyes gleamed determinedly. "My pokémon and I have been training super-duper hard so we can win! Let's go, Hilda!"

Hilda could feel her grin grow as they stepped back to make room for the fight. Adjusting the brim of her hat, she grabbed a pokéball from her belt. Bianca mimicked the movement, and tossing them in the air, their pokémon emerged.

"Hi Eevee!" Bianca grinned as her Litwick fell in front of her. Hilda rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Okay, Wick, let's show them how strong we've gotten! Astonish!"

Litwick disappeared from the field and popped up right in front of Eevee, making a scary face as it's little hands grabbed at Eevee's face to hold it in place. Eevee simply gave it a blank stare.

"Wha…?" Bianca asked as Litwick looked back at her in confusion.

 _"She's not serious, is she?"_ Eevee asked, looking back at Hilda. Hilda chose to ignore him.

"Shadow Ball!" Hilda ordered. Eevee let out a long sigh, then unleashed a close-range Shadow Ball. It sent Litwick flying back, landing in a fainted heap at Bianca's feet.

"What?!" Bianca exclaimed, snapping her gaze up to Hilda. "What?! Oooh…"

Bianca faltered for a moment, then grabbed another pokéball and sent out her Lillipup.

"Okay, Lilly! Use Tackle!"

"Quick Attack!" Hilda ordered. The attacked collided head-on, Eevee and Lillipup fighting for the desired upper hand. Eevee ended up with it, shoving Lillipup back then hopping back to Hilda. "Bite!"

Eevee darted forward and Bianca frantically called out an attack.

"Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Lillipup mustered up the most endearing eyes, causing Eevee's attack to lower slightly. As Eevee latched onto Lillipup's ear, the little terrier plowed into Eevee with a tackle. Hilda took out Eevee's pokéball and returned him.

"Oshawott!" Hilda grinned. "Razor Shell!"

Slashing through his opponent, Oshawott grinned at knocking out his opponent. Bianca whined under her breath, then sent out her final match, her Tepig.

" _Man, I don't wanna hurt the little guy."_ Oshawott turned to look at her. " _Can't we just cut to the chase and not cream her?"_

 _"_ Razor Shell!" Hilda ordered, refusing to acknowledge his words. Oshawott shrugged.

" _Sorry, old bud."_

Oshawott took his shell from his chest and kneeled in preparation of attack. Bianca desperately called out a Defense Curl. Hilda almost felt bad as Oshawott slashed into Tepig. Tepig was rolling back from the attack, but managed to crawl to his feet and let out a feeble Ember. It singed Oshawott's arm, but barely did any damage. Oshawott leapt back and unleashed a Water Gun upon Hilda's order.

Tepig toppled to the side from the torrent of water. Hilda let out a whoop of victory, scooping up her Oshawott.

"Aww... I couldn't win..." Bianca murmured, gently lifting her Tepig into her arms. Tepig barely regained consciousness, staring weakly at her. Bianca smiled at him, then broght her gaze up to Hilda. She laughed. "You are a tough cookie, Hilda. I'm gonna work hard on training my Pokémon so we won't lose anymore!"

Pulling out her wallet, she slipped Hilda's winnings into her hand. As the exchange was going on, they both heard slow clapping, the sound getting closer and closer, as if the person was walking towards them.

Then… Hilda heard _it._

"Fantastic drive, Bianca! And such an entertaining battle! I never would have guessed that either of you were first time, barely out of school trainers from that battle!"

Hilda let out a groan of frustration and Bianca let out something akin to an excited squeal.

"What is with you?!" Hilda growled as Black strode up to them. Bianca was fumbling through her bag for Tepig's pokéball. While she was doing so, Black placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close so Bianca couldn't hear.

"I'll bet you thought you got lucky, Hilda." he said under his breath. Hilda flinched and shoved into his chest, but almost like a stone pillar, he didn't move. So Hilda opted to step back at least two good strides.

"Black!" Bianca finally said, popping back up. Black turned his attention from Hilda and onto her. "Um, hi! What're you doing here so early?"

"Oh, you know," Black cocked his head with a polite smile. "I didn't want to burden you or your friends, so I thought I'd be a little ahead of the game and not infringe on your journey."

Hilda could only gape at him and his blatantly obvious lie. Well, at least to her it was a lie, but a lie nonetheless! Infringing on their journey… He couldn't give two hoots! And yeah, she might have agreed to it, but still…!

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calm down. She should just walk away now, but the last thing she needed was Black sinking his claws into Bianca then breaking her heart.

"You're not infringing at all!" Bianca insisted. "Besides, it's like I always say, the more the merrier!"

"Surely you don't mean that." Black smiled charismatically. Hilda felt like gagging.

"Bianca, shouldn't we get your pokémon to a center?" Hilda cut in before she had to listen to more of Black's needless banter. Bianca's excitement suddenly snapped to worry.

"Oh goodness, you're right!" Bianca gasped. "Tep and the others! Oh, my poor dears…!"

She hurried into the city. Hilda watched her go.

"Didn't realize you wanted some alone time with me." Black said, ruining the tranquil silence. Hilda whipped around, stomping up to him with her hands on her hips. With on finger just under his nose, she began her tirade.

"For the record, asswipe, the last thing I want is to be alone with you. I'd rather be trapped with Kyurem then be forced to be anywhere near you, even with an escape. And secondly, didn't you say one girl at a time? Stop going after Bianca, I'm your damn target!"

"Jealous?" Black teased.

"No!" Hilda practically roared. "Keep away from Bianca!" Then she turned on her heel and walked away. It didn't take long for Black to catch up and fall into stride with her. Hilda wasn't sure if she was more infuriated by his silence or not. But she wanted so badly to be rid of him…

And the fact that she was so close was all the more annoying.

o.0.o.0.o

Vale only barely managed to slip away from Black when something else seemingly caught his attention. Whatever it was, she's been dodging in and out of trees all early morning, and then in and out of alleyways and buildings late morning. By the grace of the almighty Arceus, she just barely managed to loose him when something seemed to catch his eye near the entrance of the city, and she ducked into a building.

She knew when she was being followed, and it was something she had to pick up quickly when Ghetsis was in the picture. First, it was something she learned from Silver, to be aware of her surroundings. To know when she was being watched. He, of course, had a better handle on it than she ever did, as she often still got caught in the act. But as she grew older, under Ghetsis's control, she grew more aware, especially on missions. She knew when he had a skilled grunt pinned on her, and she knew when he wanted to make sure that she was performing her mission correctly. Up until she actually came to Unova, she was certain, one hundred percent certain, that Ghetsis always had eyes on her. For six months she was sure she was safe, as she felt no indication that anyone was following her about.

That was, until she ran into Black.

She couldn't be sure if it was him, but she had no other indications. Black was perhaps the most difficult person she ever had to loose. Whether his ability to tail her was based on really good perception or a motivation of steel, she couldn't tell. But he was skilled and it was worrying to her. Not that Black was good at following her, but the fact that he taunted her. The glimpse of brown hair here, the flash of a blue jacket there… They were intentional. Especially so if he was able to hide blue within a forrest like that.

She had no clue who he was or what he was affiliated with, but her initial reaction was to not trust this mysterious Black in the slightest. At best, he was some overly curious boy who followed people about for kicks. It wouldn't be the first time she ran into someone like that. Back in Johto, she recalled an overly curious young woman with brown hair and odd dress, for the simplistic culture of Johto, at least. But on the absolute worst end of the spectrum, he could be an associate of Ghetsis's. Even at her ranking, she knew that there were secrets in the organization. Even his own son was a hidden anomaly, a rumor whispered about among grunts until she herself had actual confirmation of him.

 _N…_

She smiled slightly. Even a single-letter name was better than the nickname she gave him. Because it was something, and that made her happy.

However, that gave her all the more reason to not allow herself to get caught in Ghetsis's manipulations. Whether or not Black was with him or not, she didn't care. Because all she had to do was avoid him in order to get ahead.

Climbing up the stairs of the apartment building, her finger traced along the names next to the button until she found the one she was looking for. Pressing the button and holding, hearing a prolonged beep, she waited. A few seconds later, she heard a curious " _Yes_?".

"My name is Vale," Vale responded. "Is this Professor Fennel?"

" _It is._ "

"Could I ask you some questions about your research? I overheard your subject of research when I was in school and I'm thinking you could help me with something."

There was a pause, and then a click, as if she had hung up. Vale furrowed her brow, wondering if she asked the wrong thing or something. Just as she was about to walk away, the door suddenly opened. Vale startled back as a woman with long, raven-black hair appeared, smiling widely.

"I love it when students come to visit me! Come in, come in, and ask away!"

o.0.o.0.o

"I don't understand." Hilda hissed under her breath as she shot a glare at Cheren. "You said the internet had loads of information on it! So how come I can't look up the movesets of the gym leaders?!"

"Because it's illegal to release that information." Cheren crossed his arms, glancing away from the computer screen to see Bianca walking back towards them. "It's like tax information. The gyms still need to be a challenge, so challengers generally can't release incriminating info on the battles. Even saying what pokémon they fought with could be troubling." he pushed his glasses up his nose. "You knew this already from trainer school, and besides, I told you that it was pointless to try and look them up."

"Yeah, but you're the same jerk who insisted we form a strategy!" Hilda shot back. "And anyways, who pays attention to something as boring as gym laws? I've lived in Unova for a majority of my life, I know good enough what's legal and what's not."

"Considering you could get a suspension on your trainers license for releasing information like movesets and skills," Bianca said, finally chiming in on the conversation. "I wouldn't want to risk it."

"It's only, like, a week. Someone needs to grow a pair and release that information, it would make my life easier."

"Seems you only pay attention when it counts." Black teased, poking at her cheek. "Why don't you break the law and get that suspension then?" Hilda practically dislocated his wrist when she smacked his hand away.

"Why not you?!" Hilda demanded. "Do you realize how much profit I'd loose in a weeks time?!"

Black simply grinned. Hilda felt like she fell into a trap of some sort.

"But did you find anything?" Bianca asked. "Do you know anything, Black? Cheren?"

"I'm not much of a battler, so I never took interest in the gyms." Black shrugged. Hilda scoffed. He had to have battled or trained at some point. How on earth did he get an Archeops like the one he obviously had in Accumula if he didn't trade it. It listened to him like he was the trainer, so it had to have been his, and one he had for a while.

"All I'm finding," Hilda crossed her arms. "Is reviews and stuff about the restaurant that the gym leader apparently runs in the gym. Everything else is confusing as hell."

"How so?" Bianca asked, glancing over her shoulder, eyes darting over the screen.

"Because some people say it's a fire type gym, some say it's a grass type gym, and some say it's a water type gym." Hilda slammed her elbow onto the desk, roughly settling her cheek onto her fist. "Like, make up your mind dammit."

"Might I intervene?"

The small group turned around to see a man with blue hair an in a waiters uniform. He was smiling politely at them, holding a paper bag filled with what looked like berries. Dangling form his arm was a plastic bag that seemed to hold medical items.

"You're trainers, correct? Taking on the pokémon league?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Hilda demanded.

"I happen to work as a waiter at the restaurant slash gym, if you would like any pointers." he responded with a cool smile.

"You'd be willing to give us information like that?" Cheren glanced at him skeptically.

"You know," Bianca said musingly. "You look a little familiar."

"Do I, now?" he smiled. "How odd. Maybe I just have one of those faces?"

"If we could see it through your hair." Hilda muttered to herself. "Well? Are you going to tell us what's up or not?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you should consider the concept of triple battles."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

"Oh, like that was so damn helpful!" Hilda snapped, throwing her hands in the air. Pushing back her chair, she stood up with the chair screeching. "Damn it all…"

"Hilda, where are you going?" Black asked.

"I'm going to the gym and I'm going to kick ass, that's where I'm going." Hilda snapped back at him. She yanked up her friends by her wrists. "Cheren, Bianca, come on! They want a triple battle then they're gonna get it!"

She then proceeded to drag her friends to the gym.

o.0.o.0.o

"Welcome to the Striaton Restaurant!" a cheerful woman in a maids uniform "Table for-"

"None." Hilda snapped to her. "The three of us," she gestured to Cheren and Bianca. "Want to challenge this gym."

"Wait-" Bianca timidly spoke up.

"Of course." the hostess set aside her menus and walked towards the back of the restaurant, where there was a blue curtain with a water symbol on it. "Your trial is rather easy. Just step on the button that corresponds with the type that is stronger than that on the curtain. Good luck."

"Thank you." Cheren said as Hilda stepped forward.

"This is way to easy. Water is weak to-"

She heard a beep to her right and snapped her head as Bianca happily jumped onto the symbol marked with fire.

"Fire!" Bianca beamed happily, turning to them. "Heat evaporates water, so that makes sense, right?"

"Oh, my Arceus." Hilda almost wanted to slam her head into a wall. Cheren simply stared. A noise sounded overhead that clearly indicated she was wrong. From behind them, they heard a muffled chuckle from the hostess. Bianca seemed completely oblivious, but Hilda could feel her rage boiling over.

"Bianca," Cheren said calmly, most likely sensing the rising tension. "When you want to put out a fire, what do you use?"

"...Wind?" Bianca asked.

"Not necessarily." Cheren sighed, pushing his glasses up his face. "If all else fails, you use water to put out fire."

"Oh! That makes sense." Bianca nodded.

"So if water is the type that is on the curtain right now," Cheren continued patiently. "Which of the three choices would it be weak too?"

"Um…" Bianca slowly eased to the middle, where Hilda was standing. She stepped on the button, listening the ding as she got it right. "Oh! Yay!"

"Do you understand now?" Cheren asked.

"Yeah! Grass is effective against water!"

"Can you explain why?"

"Uh…" Bianca cocked her head, as if trying to think up the right words. "Maybe because… water is a source of life for grass? So, like, the grass-type sucks up the water-types strength?"

"Correct." Cheren said, moving forward as the curtain opened. "There are many monikers for remembering type matchups. Some of them are harder to remember than others."

"So let's move onto the next one." Hilda said, stomping forward. On the curtain was a bit of flames.

"So what do you think, Bianca?" Cheren asked. "What would fire be weak against? Do you remember your monikers?"

"Fire would be weak to…" Bianca said thoughtfully. "Fire would be weak to water!" she said, going towards the water button and stepping on it. "Because water is used to douse flames, right?"

"Correct." Cheren smiled. They continued onto the next curtain. Again, Cheren reviewed the monikers for Bianca, and Bianca got it right.

"Look at you." Hilda muttered in a teasing tone as Bianca cheered. "Are you just naturally good at teaching, or is it because of your student?"

"Now is not the time to joke." Cheren said simply. "We are about to start a gym battle."

In front of them was a young man with green hair in a waiters uniform.

"Welcome to the Striaton City Pokémon Gym." he said, bowing slightly. From behind him came a redheaded young man.

"I'm Chili! I light things up with fire-type Pokémon!" he said as he moved to the left.

Additionally, the blue-haired man from before came from behind Cilan.

"I'm a water-type specialist, and my name is Cress. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"You…!" Hilda pointed to Cress as he moved to the right.

"And my name is Cilan." the green haired one said. "I like grass-type Pokémon. Um, you see... As for why the three of us, um, are all here is, well, er..."

"Oh,enough!" Chili snapped. "Listen up! Normally, the three of us will decide whom you'll battle! It'll be based on the type of the first Pokémon you chose!"

"But it seems this is a special case," Cress said. "As this is to be a triple battle."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Dun dun duuuuuuuuun. Cliffhanger. Ish. I don't know. Next chapter will be particularly actiony, so, yeah.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	7. Triple Trouble

**Sorry for the lack of updates, I suddenly got bombarded with college stuff. Thankfully, I'm done, and finished out my second semester with a 3.5 GPA. However, I will probably not make fanfiction my entirely main focus. There will be more on that in my end authors notes. I don't want to bombard you with information at the very beginning when you've been waiting so patiently for this update.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

"Special case my ass!" Hilda said, pointing an accusing finger at Cress. "You jerk! You could've said you were a gym leader instead of dancing around the question! Your dumb hint wasn't even useful!"

"It wasn't?" Cress cocked his head. "Oh dear. I'm sorry."

Hilda let out a grunt, glancing between the three brothers. She was in the center, facing against the timid, green haired one, Cilan. Bianca was to her right, facing against Cress and Cheren was facing against Chili.

"It, um, will be a simple three on three battle." Cilan said simply, as if hoping to defuse Hilda's building rage. "First side to loose all three will be declared the winner."

"Alright, fine." Hilda sighed, crossing her arms. "So how does this work? Triple win means triple pay, right?"

"Whoever looses on all three sides will obtain all the rewards." Cress said simply.

"In other words," Chili grinned. "Winner takes all!"

Hilda grabbed for Oshawott's pokéball as the three brothers grabbed for their own. Cheren sent out Snivy and Bianca sent out Tepig. Oshawott and Snivy glared at each other upon release.

"I swear to Arceus Oshawott, don't start." Hilda warned him. Oshawott looked over his shoulder at her.

" _Who, me?"_ she heard. Hilda ignored that.

"This is a triple battle," Cheren said, adjusting his glasses slightly. "So then I should-"

"Kick his ass, Oshawott!"

"Go, Tepig!"

Hilda leapt head first into battle while Bianca followed hesitantly behind, practically leaving the still-calculating Cheren in the dust.

The battle began like that, and the trainers began screaming attacks back and forth. Hilda noticed that Bianca tended to mimic whichever attack Chili would use on his Pansear. Cheren tried to be a bit more practical, trying to take advantage of Snivy's moveset, using Wrap on Pansear. Hilda just let Oshawott go wild with Razor Shell.

Hilda knew that Oshawott's flurries of attacks were tiring Pansage, but it seems that with every five hit she got in, Pansage fired back with one good Vine Whip. Cheren was doing better against Pansear, trying to use Wrap to do more damage, but Chili saw straight through that strategy. As Wrap was a contact move, all Chili had to do was order an Incinerate and Snivy was shrieking in pain from the direct contact with fire. Bianca was floundering horribly. Since she was just attempting to mimicking Chili's battle moves, Cress caught on quickly and either counteracted the moves, then devastated Tepig with water-type moves.

Within mere minutes, almost all of their pokémon were panting in front of them. Bianca looked on the verge of tears, Cheren looked confused as to how to continue onwards, and Hilda was grinding her teeth in frustration. On the other hand, the three pokémon were flipping through the air as if they were putting on a show, which annoyed Hilda all the more. This was a battle, not a contest!

"They're pretty tough, are they not?"

Hilda snapped her gaze to her left, and saw none other than Black sitting at a table, smiling happily as a waitress served him a bowl of soup. He took his time, sampling the broth, then let out a sigh.

"Ah. Good gym leaders, compliments to the chef! I expect a most marvelous show alongside my early lunch, yes?"

"But of course!" Cress promised.

"But goodness me," Black continued, face morphing into that of obvious concern. "I know I'm rooting for my newly acquired friends, but it seems with the way that they are positioned… You're at a very obvious disadvantage…"

"He's right." Bianca said tearfully, balling her hands to her chest. "We really are at a serious disadvantage…!"

"Fire is weak to water, Tepig is standing against Panpour. Water is weak to grass, and Oshawott is standing against Pansage. And grass is weak to fire, with my Snivy standing against Pansear." Cheren muttered in frustration.

"Fine then." Hilda shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. Grabbing Cheren by the arm, she glanced over the battle again. "We'll just switch spots. Cheren, switch with Bianca."

They heard a roar of laughter, and Hilda snapped her head up. She saw Chili holding his stomach, bent over laughing.

"You aren't allowed to switch places during battle." Cilan explained simply.

"Says who?!" Hilda shot back.

"They gym leader, evidently." Black responded. Hilda snapped her gaze to him.

"Politely _buzz off!"_ she screamed back.

"Gotta problem with that?" Chili taunted.

"Maybe it seems like we have an unfair advantage, but we have positioned ourselves for optimal strength." Cress explained smoothly. "There are many types of gyms all across the world. Ours specialize in teaching challengers about pokémon types."

"Perhaps if you had listened to our lovely host…" Cilan trailed off as Hilda shot him a fiery glare.

"Just because we're at a disadvantage doesn't mean we still can't win!" Hilda thrust her arm out. "Tackle, Oshawott!"

Oshawott bravely stood, though stumbling slightly. Pansage, with his arms crossed behind his back, stood there with a happy go lucky grin on his face. Then, he ran forward with intention to hit Pansage, but Pansage nimbly dodged. The grass-type slapped Oshawott to the side with a vine whip, sending the water type slamming into a slumping Tepig.

"Oh dear," Black murmured as Oshawott slumped to the ground. "Hilda! It seems your poor pokémon is near ready to faint!"

"Shut up!" Hilda snapped.

The fact that he got knocked down snapped Tepig to attention. He snapped his eyes to Pansage with a glare, flames spurting from his nostrils in rage. Surrounded in flames, Tepig charged at the target of his rage, searing Pansage in flames. Cilan looked surprised as his Pansage landed, smoking, at his feet. Tepig went back to Bianca with the menacing look still on his face.

"Whoo-hoo!" Bianca cheered. "Go Tepig, go!"

Hilda blinked, glancing at Tepig, gaze snapping back to Pansage. Then, she thought back to their placement in battle, and a lesson she swore she forgot in trainer school about triple battles.

"Mother fu-!" Hilda cut herself off as she facepalmed. Running her hand down her face. "This is a damned triple battle! I don't need to attack the pokémon directly in front of me!"

"That's what I tried to say at the beginning of the battle." Cheren sighed, shaking his head. "The point of the triple battle is that we can attack opponents other than those in front of us. We've been fighting three separate, loosing battles rather than working together in a united force."

"Wonderful!" Black clapped his hands. "Bianca, you've figured it out!"

"I did?" Bianca cocked her head, then beamed a sunny smile at Black. "I don't know what I did, but thank you, Black!"

"Tch…" Hilda ground her teeth. How could anyone be fooled by him?! Well, Bianca was Bianca, but even Cheren seems to have bought it! The guy who was wary of everyone, even Vale, who, while mysterious, was a thousand times more trustworthy than that excuse of a man, Black! "Oshawott, you all right?"

" _I think I can stand to fight again."_ Oshawott muttered.

"Good." Hilda found herself unintentionally nodding. "Then kick ass! Razor shell on Pansear! Slice him to bits!"

Oshawott ran forward, shell in hand, beginning to slash at Pansear. While Pansear seemed ready to dodge and attack back, he couldn't avoid a couple good slashes. Panpour rushed forward to attack, but Cheren leapt in at the given opportunity.

"Snivy, on your guard!" Cheren demanded. "Leech Seed!"

Snivy whipped around, sending a flurry of seeds over to the other side. Immediately, vines sprouted up and entangled the two pokémon. Pansear easily scorched the vines away, but Panpour was in more trouble as the sprouts began to drain her energy.

"Alright, you two cover Panpour as best you can!" Hilda shouted, taking a stand. "I'm going for that fiery brat!"

"Who're you calling a brat, kid?!" Chili roared back. "Pansear…!"

"Soak 'em, Oshawott!" Hilda shouted. Oshawott let out a gush of water from his mouth, streaming across the battlefield. Pansear took the brunt of the attack, then, like swimming upstream, he popped out with fangs bared. "Nice try, moron!"

In what was surely a fatal move, Oshawott slashed across Pansears chest. The fire-type went flying back. Hilda was certain some of the fur on his chest came flying off from the hit…

"Damn…!" Chili hissed as he returned his pokémon. Hilda turned her attention to Panpour. Oshawott also turned, having a destructive glint in his eye.

"Ooooh… Hilda, you look scary…" Bianca whimpered.

"Bianca, help me out! Let's confuse 'em!"

"Um, okay!" Bianca nodded. "S-Smog!"

A purplish smokescreen erupted from Tepig's snout and engulfed the gym, practically choking their lungs. Hilda covered her mouth against the burning attack.

"Oh, how mysterious!" she heard Black shout. Hilda scowled. And here she thought not being able to see him would be enough… His voice was still grating on her nerves!

"Oshawott, send him flying!" Hilda ordered once she couldn't see the other side of the gym. "Bianca stand back! Cheren, on guard!"

"Yes, of course!" Cheren nodded. Oshawott burst forward into the smog, attacking Panpour with it's shell. She heard Cress cry out Panpours name as shouts and cries of pain echoed within the cloud. Then, just as the smog seemed to be clearing, Panpour burst through the top of the cloud.

"Cheren now!"

"Right!" Cheren nodded then thrust out his arm. "Snivy, Lead Tornado!"

A tornado of wind and leaves erupted from Snivy's tail, also sucking the smog into it. With a shout, Snivy flipped around and slammed the battlefield. Hilda heard the screams of Panpour as the super effective attack engulfed her, and within moments, there was silence.

Only to be shattered by clapping.

"Marvelous! Utterly marvelous! The perfect show!" Black cheered from the sidelines. Hilda tossed some hair over her shoulder, scowling.

"My, for someone who just won, that is quite the sour face." Cress said smoothly, crossing the battlefield to congratulate them.

"Well, we won, right?" Hilda put her hands on her hips. "I was hoping showing my true ferocity in battle would scare him off, but…"

"Hilda, you were marvelous! Wonderful! Bravo!"

"I think I'm going to end up murdering him."

"Please… not on the restaurant grounds…" Cilan timidly murmured. "That's the last thing we need…"

"Yeah, let's get 'em out of here before anything to violent happens." Chili said, rolling up his sleeves. "Whatever your motive was, you three,"

"You managed to beat the triple gym challenge with us triplet brothers." Cress followed smoothly, pulling something from his apron.

"S-So here's your symbol of victory a-and proof of your skills," Cilan opened his hand in front of Hilda. "The Trio Badge."

"Cool, that's great, but what about the cash reward we get for beating you?" Hilda asked, staring at the badge, unimpressed. "Don't you gyms pay out big for those who defeated you?"

"But of course," Cress answered, pulling a roll of bills from his apron pocket. Chili grumbled a little more about it, and Cilan timidly handed the reward over. Hilda flipped through her portion of the reward, counting it quickly. Forty bucks.

"Meh, good enough."

Then she turned on her heel and began to walk towards the exit.

o.0.o.0.o

"You know, these outfits are ridiculous."

Hun glanced up at her partner, Attila, whom was ripping the hood off his head and pushing his hair off his forehead, tousling it slightly so it was back to his preferred style. Unfortunately, Hun had to agree with him, she absolutely hated theses constraining, dull, utterly ridiculous grunt outfits that they were forced to wear as members of Team Plasma. Here they were, pokémon hunters, some of the best in the black market business, forced to wear these stupid clothes as a true symbol of how far they've fallen.

Ever since their ultimate failure in Johto, where they failed to deliver not only the Catcher to the man then known as Mask, but they also allowed Silver and the other dexholders to not only slip through their fingers, but _best them._ They were given a second chance at that last battle, the one near Celebi's shrine, but they had ended up failing then too. She and Hun were forced to go through what she felt was ultimate humiliation. Not only had they failed, but in a split second decision, they decided to run.

Within every right, they were allowed to leave. They weren't official members, not really. They were hired to hunt rare pokémon and kidnap important people. Plus, it was a security measure for their own health and safety. Both she and Atilla had seen grunts with bandages up and down their arms, some bearing scars from their punishments. And she honestly wondered where Mask would draw the line, and whether or not he would play the role of executioner. So when they left, they thought they were home free. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

They were quickly recaptured by some… some sort of secret trio. They had to be a secret, because Hun never even thought they existed, just a fear tactic used by Mask to force the grunts into submission. But nonetheless, no matter how much brain power she had and how much muscle Atilla had, they were no match for those nimble agents.

Next thing they both knew, they forced to share a small cell made with completely white walls, with only two twin-sized, bright white mattresses, free of any color, wearing white clothes and only given white rice to eat. They had no clue where they were, and they only had each other. Their food was delivered through a small panel at the bottom of the door, whoever was there must have been instructed not to speak to them, because no matter how much Attila yelled and pounded on the door, there was no response. He gave up trying after about five days, but it didn't stop him from loudly ranting and raving about the madness behind it all. And as much as Hun sometimes loathed her denser parter, had he not been there to converse with her, she rightfully would have gone mad in that cell overnight.

About a two weeks into that punishment, they were allowed access to the world outside the cell, though nothing was as it was before.

They were knocked from their position as Admins in the organization. And if that wasn't humiliating enough, both found themselves enduring the backlash of their actions. Physical punishments weren't all that bad, not on her part. Hers was a psychological one. She was taken from her positions and she knocked to the lowest of the low, forced to scrub floors in that man's ridiculous _palace_ of a main base. Other people, worthless _grunts_ who used to follow her orders without batting an eye, were encouraged to mess up her clean floors, or kick the dirty water bucket in her face. She hated it. _Hated it._

As for her partner, Attila… he was never quite the same when one of those damned sages came to wake them in the morning. He would leave, she would leave, and after the first week, he was… significantly quieter.

Hun began to notice red blossoming through bandages across his arms, even soaking through his shirt on one occasion. At some point, she noticed his fingertips were bloodied and swollen. He couldn't hide it very well, and she knew that he was missing fingernails from his hands. Attila did not wish to talk about it, so she never bothered to ask. All she knew that, with how long she's worked with Attila, in order to actually hurt him that badly, they had to have tied him down in some way shape or form. He was like a raging tauros when he was attacked. He attacked back, and attacked back with a vengeance.

After what felt like an eternity, they were suddenly given these blasted grunt uniforms and said to come to the main hall. Like they knew what that meant. Before they knew it, they were witnessing some sort of coronation of their new "king" and then they were told they were officially grunts, hoping to make strides towards liberating pokémon from their trainers.

That put a whole new twist on things, because they were originally hired to _capture_ pokémon. This was… completely hypocritical.

It wasn't until they were called upon by the man formerly known as Mask, now going by Ghetsis. He called them to the front of the entire audience, filled with similarly dressed men and women, wearing knight like costumes and men dressed in sage-like robes. They walked down the aisle, lined with the sages until they stood at the bottom step of the alter.

He introduced them by name, and then announced their "past" profession. The audience booed and sneered at them, only stopping when the new king raised his hand and the audience fell silent. The young man then claimed that, through the teachings of his father and the other six of the seven sages, they had "renounced" their past profession and now wish for nothing more than to "free" pokémon from trainers.

There was a silence. Everyone was staring, and Hun realized all to quickly this was a life or death situation. A test. She either had to submit now or she was probably going to go back to that accursed cell and not come out again. So, Hun stooped to a level she thought she'd never have to do.

She lowered herself to one knee, and bowed the the young man wearing a crown.

"Long live King Natural Harmonia Gropius." she said as earnestly as she could manage. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Attila quickly following her lead, getting on one knee.

"Long live Team Plasma!"

His voice boomed across the hall, causing cheers to erupt from the grunts. The boy, who apparently went by N, was smiling a peaceful, happy smile, like he was happy they had turned a new corner in life. It hit her all at once at that moment.

This boy had no idea. He had no idea the psychological torment she had endured being treated like a slave, the physical agony Attila went through. He had no _clue._

She cast her gaze to Ghetsis. She wondered if he thought they had been "rehabilitated" as well. He was smiling proudly, and Hun felt nothing but bitter resentment. Because that _bastard_ of a man thought that he had broken her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Attila clenching his fists.

But nonetheless, this was working to their advantage. Because now, Ghetsis was giving them missions. Heavily monitored, but missions were missions nonetheless. They had a sliver of freedom, and the fact that Ghetsis even allowed them to remain partners was a blessing in and of itself.

"It's not like I exactly enjoy them either." Hun said slowly as Attila scowled. "But it's not like we get a choice in the matter."

Hun didn't like them for the sole reason that she had to keep her hair down, per policy of the uniforms. This was because the hood didn't look right if their hair was pulled into any ponytail, so it was just a rule they had to follow, less their hair get cut off.

However, even she had to admit that the conservative outfit hardly suited Attila's body type. Attila showed off his strength by baring his arms, literally. So the fact that he couldn't tear the sleeves off his shirt or even wear his sunglasses angered him greatly.

Casting the thoughts of the organization as a whole aside, Hun glanced over the place they were sent to. The Dream Yard. Apparently, working under the guise as a liberation group also worked to their advantage. Asking people about the Dream Yard was a breeze for getting information. Due to their "peaceful" intentions, people immediately told them about what it was.

Apparently the Dream Yard was once a facility that studied dreams under the guidance of a woman named Fennel Sigmund. A couple of years ago, as she was making breakthrough discoveries about this mysterious "dream mist", some sort of criminals or thugs came along wanting to take advantage of it. No one was sure who it was, but considering their current mission objective, Hun had a sneaking suspicion that it may have been someone connected to Ghetsis. After all, that base was apparently there while Mask was stationed in Johto, run by the six other sages.

But regardless, the Musharna that lived there and was integral to Fennel's research apparently picked up on the bad intentions and ambitions of those people, and it was an overload on it's power. Technology and the pokémon's power collided, and it caused a massive explosion that sent the base into ruin. Apparently, afterwards, this place became a natural habitat for Munna and Musharna, which made it the perfect place to seek dream mist.

"This place is weird." Attila muttered, looking around with his arms crossed.

"That's undeniable." Hun responded. The air was was pungent with… something. It was hard to place, but it was almost like this yard was… strangely sacred. Like if they stepped foot in there, they were disturbing the rest of hundreds.

But nonetheless, they had to press on.

"Just keep the core of your objective in mind, Attila." Hun reminded him, walking forward. "We just need one Munna, a Musharna, if possible, to harvest dream mist back at the castle. If anything else, we are the experts in respect to this profession."

o.0.o.0.o

Upon exiting the gym, Hilda glanced around, as if unsure where to go next. Next best guess would be to go onto the next route… But she's been hearing word of some sort of "Dream Yard", which was supposed to be something of a training grounds for trainers who wish to challenge the gym. In other words, weaklings she could cream for pocket change.

Cruel? Perhaps. But the world was cruel and Hilda was set to be rich. Nice girls don't become rich.

Just as she was about to turn the corner and go, she was confronted by a walking tower of books. The walking tower collided with her, and books clattered to the ground.

"Oh dear!" a small voice said.

Hilda lowered her gaze, then saw a small girl, maybe about twelve years old, with a round face and glasses. She had on an oversized lab coat with sleeves that fell past her wrists, hair in pigtails. All in all, she looked like the stereotypical nerd.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, still holding two the books in her hands. "I couldn't see anything, and I-"

"Not a problem at all, dear."

Hilda felt her entire body flinch, spine spasming as a certain annoying moron placed a hand on her shoulder. Scowling, she swatted Black's hand away, making sure to but a good two feet between them. He, however, stooped down and began picking up some of the books.

"My, these are some complicated titles." Black said, studying one as he glanced over the title. "Are you a research assistant?"

"Oh, n-no!" the girl shook her head. "I'm an actual researcher, you know? I, um, I've modeled the PC boxes here, after my predecessors. Now I just manage them..."

"Brains to accompany cuteness!" Black said, as if awestruck. "My, aren't you accomplished? May I ask the name of the accomplished young lady?"

The girl went into a fit of giggles as both stood, holding stacks of books. Hilda scowled. Arceus, she hated him. She didn't think that she would singlehandedly hate an individual so much. She could tell that he was playing this girl for a fool, which was all the more sickening. She had to be younger than them, probably about twelve years old!

"M-My name is Amanita!" she introduced herself. "I manage and update the PC boxes, but I also work as my assistant for my big sister, Fennel!"

"Fennel?" Black asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, she studies dreams and stuff. But she gets so into it that she sometimes forgets to do stuff, like buy food. So she sets aside money so people can run errands for her."

That caught Hilda's attention. The only reason she stuck around was because she didn't want this obvious predator prey on a kid, so she stood there with her most menacing, burning glare. Tilting her head downwards to look at the girl, she spoke.

"How much money?"

The girl shrunk back at her demanding tone.

"I'm not so sure. Enough?"

"That's good enough," Hilda stooped down to pick up some forgotten books. "Take me to her, I'll see what I can do."

"Oh, um, okay!" Amanita nodded, then turned on her heel, leading them away. Black moved to follow her, and Hilda shot out her arm.

"Buzz off, asswipe." she hissed at him. "She's like, what, twelve? The hell is even wrong with you?"

"Oh? Did I say something wrong?" Black asked innocently. "I was just stating facts… what is it with you and the statement of factual truths?"

"You're so doing this on purpose." Hilda shook her head. "Keep at it, you repulsive sicko. I'll just wait this all out until I rake in that damned award."

"Do try, Hilda." Black smiled.

Hilda turned on her heel and began to stomp after Amanita.

o.0.o.0.o

"While memories _could_ connect with our dreams, I'm not so sure I would be able to bring up your memories of your early childhood _through_ dreams."

The information Fennel gave Vale greatly discouraged her. Vale knew that she had to save N, if nothing else, but she also wanted a home to return to once this was all over.

All in all, Vale had no clue what to do after she saved N, if she could. She knew she had to have some charges over her head, especially considering that this Ghetsis was basically running an international crime syndicate. How many stations did he have in how many regions? How many people and pokémon have been hurt? How long did she have before the missions and such she was a part of caught up to her?

She knew it was only a matter of time before this all caught up to her, if it ever did. After all, she was seemingly assumed dead. It seems that only N really knew who she was. N… and Ghetsis. Would Ghetsis hand her over to get a lighter sentence? Undoubtedly. He would hand N over at his own expense.

She knew she couldn't have simply been _born_ into that organization. But ever since she was little, before she was six, at least, she remembered only Mask and the organization. But there had to be something between infantry and age five. There had to be something. She needed a place to go to once this was all over, a place she can live in peace, a place she can protect N at. She needed to know where her _home_ was. Because there had to be people, somewhere, waiting for her to come back. Her home couldn't be in Mask's organization. She had to have one, right?

At least, she hoped there was. Because if she was truly born as a member of that organization, she wouldn't feel so out of place. Or that could just be abrupt denial…

"So there's no way for you to help me." she summarized simply.

"Well… yes. I mean, I can analyze and monitor your dreams, but that would require you to remain in Striaton as this is something that is extremely delicate, and subject to change. Plus, something is telling me that you don't exactly want to stay, and having your dreams explained to you isn't what you're looking for."

"Well, yes. There's some really important things that I need to take care of." Vale clenched her fists. "Once I'm done, I can't afford to remain here any longer than necessary."

"I'm sorry I'm of no help to you." Fennel crossed her arms with a long sigh. She seemed to be contemplating something for a moment, then, her eyes lit up with a gasp. Vale brought her gaze back, and saw a light dancing in Fennel's eyes, the same light that shone as she spoke animatedly about her research to her. "But if I could get some Dream Mist…!"

"Dream Mist…" Vale echoed.

"Yes, Dream Mist is something produced by Munna and Musharna. It's said to be the manifestation of the true dreams and desires of those who come into access with it. If your dreams _are_ connected to your memories, then I think we might be able to get an answer for it quicker if we had some Dream Mist!"

"Then… Then I'll help you." Vale nodded. "Where do I find some?"

"Well, it's only produced by Munna and Musharna, and there's a large amount those pokémon over at my old facility, now known as the Dream Yard." Fennel was talking rapidly and excitedly, as if she could hardly contain her excitement. "It's just up past Striaton restaurant. If you could do me this favor, I'd definitely make it worth your while, Vale!"

Suddenly, Vale's ears picked up on the pounding of footsteps, and she whipped around in surprise as the door slammed open.

"I'll do it!" a confident voice announced. There stood Hilda with her hands on her hips, a certain, greedy glint flickering in her eyes on her confident expression.

"Aw, Hilda, do you even know what you're volunteering to do?" a voice echoed behind her. Black peeked over her shoulder as Hilda turned her head to glare at him.

"Well, of course I'm going to go and ask her what she wants me to do!" she snapped at him. A one sided argument ensued, where Black would answer Hilda's fiery arguments with a light-aired tone, as if this situation was enjoyable or funny. A smaller girl ducked around them, coming up to Fennel. Vale recognized the girl as Amanita. They were introduced earlier

"She insisted that she'd help us out if we paid her for the work." she explained briefly. "That's Hilda. The boy next to her is Black."

Her voice dropped to being more quiet, whispering Black's name, blush lighting up her face. Vale slowly lifted her gaze to Black, who was smiling away and arguing cheerfully with Hilda. Something about him wasn't right. Vale couldn't tell what, but something about him was unsettling. But it was barely there, like a niggling sense that she was completely wrong, she was just paranoid.

As if sensing her stare, Black glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and smiled. Vale felt a shiver shoot down her spine.

 _There's something so off about him… But why can't I place what it is?!_

Heart pounding for a reason she couldn't quite explain, Vale turned back to Fennel.

"I'm going to go to the Dream Yard, now." she said to Fennel, then approached the two. Looking directly at Hilda so to avoid Black's gaze, she spoke. "Excuse me."

Black made a point to grab Hilda's arm and gently tug her out of the way. Vale unintentionally found herself going down the stairs two at the time and bursting out of the apartment building. Glancing around, she ran towards the Striaton restaurant. But then, there was a chill down her spine. Glancing over her shoulder, her gaze flicked across the crowd.

She clenched her fists slightly as she took a step back. He was around… somewhere. But where? Why couldn't she find him? The streets weren't that crowded!

She exhaled, and then unclenched her fists. She had to relax. Whoever Black was… Whatever he was, she needed to not act suspicious, no matter what. She could handle him. Handle this.

She had to.

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda stomped towards the Dream Yard, brimming with confidence. She was Black free, on a prospective mission to earn some cash, and ready to obtain as much dream mist as she physically can!

After she creams a couple of trainers. Obviously.

But nonetheless, she continued marching forward. On the very end of the path, Hilda saw two familiar outlines.

"Bianca! Cheren!" Hilda raised her hand in a half-wave. Bianca turned with a big bright smile on her face.

"Hilda, look!" she held out a pokémon under it's arms. Hilda furrowed her brow, seeing Pansage, who cocked his head as she cocked hers. "Isn't he cute?"

"Sure." Hilda turned her gaze to Cheren and snorted. On top his head, pulling at his hair like it was having a grand old time, was a Panpour. "Seems you found a new friend, huh, Cheren?"

"Unfortunately." Cheren muttered, holding the pokémon in place on his head. "I plan on training him just a bit better in the near future."

"I didn't realize these two came around these parts." Hilda said, studying the two pokémon before she finally took out the pokédex. Furrowing her brow, she glanced back at the two. "Weird. The 'dex just says that they can be found in dense forests, but that's about it."

She glanced between the two of them again. Cheren had shut his eyes with a semi-forlorn look on his face. Bianca looked on the verge of tears.

"What the hell happened?" Hilda demanded.

"Initially, we came this way because Bianca saw Black and was wondering what he was up too." Cheren said. "I got dragged along for the ride."

"When we caught up to him, we saw this one girl releasing these three." Bianca murmured sadly, bowing her head. "Then she just… said she was sorry and walked away."

"She abandoned them?!" Hilda practically roared.

"Sadly so." Cheren sighed, taking an obvious step back from her yelling. "It was obvious from the start they were house trained, probably have never been unsupervised in the wild. Why else would they act so familiar around humans?"

"It was so sad." Bianca continued in a soft voice. "She was crying and they were crying, but when we tried to talk her out of it, she said the same things those people in Accumula did. That she was doing what was best for her pokémon."

"Plasma pricks…" Hilda hissed under her breath, images of the crying pokémon in Accumula coming to her mind. Clenching her fists, she whipped in the direction they came from. "You said there was a third one, right?! I'll take it in, where-?!"

"Hey guys!"

Hilda flinched at the sound of Black's voice, then turned to her right. Black had on hand raised in a half wave, on his other arm, was a Pansear. He had a big grin on his face.

"You found the third one!" Bianca exclaimed. Placing one hand over her heart, she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness…"

"Yeah, this little guy just up and jumped out at me." Black smiled at her. "He was clinging to my arm so much that I simply had to catch him!"

"Are you _kidding_ me?!" Hilda shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, not at all." Black said with a small frown on his face. "I apologize if you wanted to catch this one. In hindsight, a fire type probably would be useful should you ever face a grass type…"

That brought back memories of her incredibly, stupidly hard gym battle beforehand, all due to a type disadvantage! In a fit of frustration, she grabbed a fistful of his sweatshirt.

"Like hell! I don't need some scrawny Pansear! I'll get a fire type that's a thousand times better than-"

Hilda cut herself off with a shriek as Pansear blew a puff of pitch black smoke in her face. Stumbling back, she frantically rubbed at her face. The Pansear was snickering victoriously.

"Oh! Such a diligent pokémon!" Black said, holding Pansear under her arms as he looked at him. "Protecting your trainer like that… and recently caught to boot!"

"I meant what I said about finding a better fire type." Hilda muttered.

"Do so!" Black smiled. "Then we can battle and see where that takes us!"

"I'll kick your ass!"

"I wish you luck."

"Whatever, I don't care." Hilda scowled, deciding to change the subject before she could really loose this spat. "Why the hell did you run off like that anyways? We barely got into Fennel's office, then you just left."

"Did you want to come here together?" Black cocked his head, glancing around. "Little early for that, don't you think?"

"Excuse me?" Hilda quirked an eyebrow.

"If you ask around town, this place is sort of like a truth or dare challenge to check the sincerity of couples." Black said with a happy-go-lucky grin. "Like, to check if they're cheating or something."

"I heard that rumor." Cheren sighed. "It's pointlessly ridiculous. Supposedly, the dream mist will show the image of the person they desire the most. If they were loyal, then nothing will happen. If they are not, the man or woman they are in an affair with will appear."

"Oh, can it show you who you're gonna marry?!" Bianca asked hopefully. Cheren shot her a flat look.

"No one ever said anything about that." Cheren said.

"Aw, give me a little something to hope for!" Bianca whined. "It could happen!"

"That's as likely as the specter of the other man or woman appearing."

"It's all a crock of shit!" Hilda snapped, then turned on her heel. "I'm going to find this damn dream mist!"

"Oh, so that's why you're here?" Bianca's face lit up for a moment.

"Yeah, Fennel offered to pay me if I got some for her." Hilda responded curtly, looking over her shoulder.

"I should have known." Cheren sighed, shaking his head as if expecting that from her. "Professor Juniper called and told us that if we wanted to learn something interesting, to see her old colleague, Fennel Sigmund. I thought it would be something imperative to our journey, but instead, we got a long lesson about dreams and pokémon."

"It was interesting!" Bianca exclaimed. "Fennel said it was possible to connect trainers and pokémon all across the world! I think it would be super cool to see the results of that!"

Looking back over at the Dream Yard, her expression a mix of both conflict and wonder.

"I'm just really curious about how showing dreams work, and how Fennel plans to connect everyone by doing that…" trailing off, she grinned. "So Cheren and I came here to learn more!"

"No, I got dragged here." Cheren said, crossing his arms. "But I figured an opportunity to learn is an opportunity nonetheless, so I decided to go with it."

"Okay, sure." Hilda rolled her eyes as she spoke sarcastically. Cheren couldn't care less about this, she could tell. He just came along because Bianca asked him. Letting out a huff of irritation, she turned back to the entrance, which was basically a wall with a hole in it, rusted rebars sticking out dangerously. Studying the entrance, she began contemplating the best way to get through. Looking through the wall, she saw the flash of another, taller person amidst the dark shadows and orangish glow of the setting sun.

She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the figure. It was getting later, most of the other trainers were heading back to their homes in Striaton…

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard someone breathing behind her ear. Unlike with N, when she whipped around to sucker punch whoever it was, she made contact. However, instead of hitting his face, Hilda's punch got caught.

"Whoa there, no need to go swinging fists." Black said with a smile. Hilda narrowed her eyes at him. He let her hand fall. "Sorry, sorry. But I say we divide and conquer. It's getting a tad late, and I think we should get this over as quickly as possible."

"I want to find the mysterious pokémon…" Bianca trailed off hopefully.

"Well, since I'm looking for dream mist, we should look together." Hilda suggested immediately. "After all, Munna and Musharna are connected to the dream mist, right?"

"...I think I'll take advantage of this experience and train my pokémon against some unfamiliar types." Cheren said slowly.

"That works fine with me." Black nodded. "I'm gonna head off and see what I can find."

"Let's keep in touch, at least." Bianca insisted.

"This place is kind of crumbling." Cheren glanced at the "entrance". "So if someone calls , answer immediately."

"...Okay!" Black nodded after a brief pause with a smile. Shooting Hilda and Bianca a wink, he finished. "Good luck to you both!"

And with that abrupt finish, Black ducked through the hole in the wall and walked into the Dream Yard.

"Weird…" Hilda muttered under her breath. She expected him to attach himself to her when he suggested to split up. Yet he did the complete opposite and detached himself from the group. Something was nagging at her emotions, and she couldn't place quite what it was…

What did she care, anyways?

"Come on, Bianca," wrapping her arm around her friends bicep, she began dragging her towards the entrance. "Let's get a move on!"

o.0.o.0.o

Current Teams

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m), Litwik(f), Pansage(m)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m), Panpour(f)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Pansear(f)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m)

o.0.o.0.o

 **Sorry if this is a little late in comparison to my super fast updates. With all due honesty, I've got a couple of side stories that I may or may not publish.**

 **When I'm not working on my fanfiction, I actually have several stories in my google drive that I'm working on. Mostly, they're stories involving fandoms I enjoy, but need to get more familiar with before I publish any of them. These stories include an Inuyasha fanfiction, a Bungo Stray Dogs fanfiction, and an Alice in the Country of Hearts story. Not to mention my entire retelling of the Guilty Alice Shall We Date? games. Basically, they're like my fillers when I'm not inspired to write for my published stories, or I get some inspiration for them and I focus on them.**

 **Also, I honestly think I found this story's "end song". Sort of like how Remember was for The Beginning with Leaf Green and Letter Song was for Enlightening the Soul.**

 **Fun fact, Fennel's last name, Sigmund, is a call back to Sigmund Freud, who wrote a famous book about dreams. This is sort of like a call back to her studies of dreams and such.**

 **That being said, I think I finally figured out what the difference is between Black and Gary's womanizing. Maybe if anyone bothers to review, they can tell me the difference between them?**

 **Finally, I wanted to have Hilda yell "Bull!" or "Bullshit!" in this chapter, but then I started thinking "Wait, there's no bulls in the pokémon world!". I thought then it would have to be Tauros or Bouffalant, but neither sounded right so I just cut it out.**

 **And that's it. Sorry for the late update, I'll try to update more frequently!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	8. Hypocrisy

**I intended to release this on my birthday, but totally didn't. Whoops.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

"Hey Hilda," Bianca's voice whispered fearfully as they stood in a large area. Around them was crumbling walls and glitchy equipment, rusted and deformed from the hell it's been through thanks to the weather and the explosion that destroyed it. "You don't think that… You know, there's ghosts or anything, you know?"

"Seriously?" Hilda shot her a skeptical, disapproving look, one eyebrow quirked. "Honestly, Bianca, you've got a ghost type on your team. Besides, ghosts aren't real, so you don't need to worry that much about it."

"Wick isn't a ghost!" Bianca pouted. "She's my friend! And besides, that tale about the whole infidelity thing kinda freaked me out… This place used to be a research lab, right? What if someone died and there's a ghost?!"

"People die everywhere, Bianca. If that were the case," Hilda said bluntly, an air of sarcasm in her voice. "Then ghosts would be everywhere."

"Oh no!" Bianca wailed tearfully in response. Hilda let out a sigh. Sometimes, she forgot; Bianca didn't quite catch onto her sarcasm half the time.

"Listen," Hilda said, making sure to reassure her. " _If_ ghosts were even real, they can't touch you or anything. How would they be able to hurt you? Even if it does pop up, we'll just attack it and scare it off. End of the story, okay?"

"O-Okay…" Bianca bit her lip for a moment, then put on a brave smile. "If anyone could scare off a ghost, it'd be you Hilda! You're honestly really scary yourself!"

"Got that right!" Hilda encouraged her. Let her believe ghosts were real, she didn't care. So long as it didn't distract from the dream mist.

She and Bianca had been searching through the Dream Yard with hopes of finding the dream mist for Fennel. But as the sun started to completely set, Hilda found they were having more and more trouble finding a pink pokémon spotted with purple flowers, as Fennel had described it. One would like to _think,_ that in a place called the Dream Yard, and Munna and Musharna being known as pokémon who ate dreams, it would be easy to find such a brightly colored pokémon in such a rotted out place.

But no. As they were still searching and still hadn't found hide nor hair of such a pokémon.

"I am really curious about all of this though." Bianca continued on with a grin. "I've always wanted to do so many things, always so curious… I guess I can cross 'field work for a lab' off my list, right?"

"Right!" Hilda chuckled to herself.

Bianca had spent a majority of her life dreaming of doing a thousand different things. Most kids went through stages of wanting a certain job over the course of years, like how Hilda herself wanted be a coordinator when she was four, then grew out of that and set her sights on being a trainer when she hit the grand old age of ten. Bianca, however, flitted from profession dream to profession dream every other month, sometimes weeks.

If nothing else, it made playdates interesting.

Lifting her head, she put her hands on her hips, looking around and seeing, surprise surprise, nothing. As she turned her head, she caught the faint outline of a figure, then furrowed her brow. It was tall, with dark hair and strangely pale skin of what was visible, at least. For a moment, the figure turned to her, and shot her a piercing blue gaze while hair hung all in the person's face.

"Holy hell…!" she startled back, and Bianca popped her head up, and seemingly catching what she saw, and promptly screamed. The figure fully turned, almost startled, then ran towards them.

"No!" Bianca startled back, clinging to Hilda. "Nononononooooo!"

"Bianca? Hilda?"

Now that she wasn't in the shadows, almost instantly she recognized Vale. She looked worried for them, and Hilda felt like kicking herself for being scared, even if it was just for a moment!

"Vale?" Bianca let out a shuddery sigh of relief, placing a hand over her heart. "Oh, thank the lord Arceus, I thought you were a ghost."

"A ghost?" Vale echoed with a smile. From her back, her Joltik crawled onto her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. "Oh, Bianca. You're funny sometimes."

"Ha ha." Hilda laughed sarcastically, hoping to cover up that she was terrified for a moment there. "So why are you here?"

"I offered to help Fennel find some dream mist." Vale answered simply. Hilda furrowed her brow.

"What for?"

"Strictly for personal reasons." Vale smiled at her. "I won't ask her of any money, but her research is important for me."

"Why would you be interested in pokémon dreams?" Bianca asked. "Fennel told me that it might be possible to make it a source of clean energy… but also that it could connect people and pokémon all across the world."

"Personal reasons." Vale repeated, seemingly uncaring of the fact that they asked twice and she gave them the same answer. Reaching up, she softly stroked Joltik's head. "Are you having any luck?"

"None." Hilda shrugged. "I don't even know where Black and Cheren are right now."

"Black is here." Vale said simply, looking over her shoulder. Her tone was neither questioning or concerned. Just simple fact. "I see."

"Did you see him?" Bianca asked.

"No, and I didn't see Cheren either." Vale crossed her arms. "Are we all searching for dream mist?"

"I know I am, and I know Bianca is 'cause she's interested in this or whatever," Hilda nodded to Bianca. "Cheren got roped into it and Black, I dunno. He left after you did, then I guess ran into Bianca and Cheren…? To be honest, I don't really care."

As if to punctuate her sentence, a X-tranciever rang. Bianca began to fumble with the buttons on her wrist, when finally, she answered.

"Heya, Cheren! Any updates?" she greeted with a smile.

" _Yes, actually!"_ his voice sounded out of breath, like he was running. " _I found a Munna who looked like it had just gotten out of a fight, but the minute it saw me, it ran off! I'm chasing it, as it's heading towards the central research plaza!"_

"That's where we are!" Hilda exclaimed, raring to go. "Where is the little-"

She cut herself off as she turned a full three hundred and sixty degrees. When she faced Bianca again, her mouth dropped in shock.

A Munna, in all it's pink and flowery glory, was biting the top of her head, green hat fluttering to the ground.

"Holy hell, it's eating her!" Hilda cried out, immediately grabbing a pokéball from her belt.

"Wait a moment," Vale grabbed her wrist. "If we attack it, we have risk of hitting Bianca."

"So am I supposed to just watch it _eat her?!"_

"No, I'm just saying-" Vale cut herself off as the Munna let out a satisfied exhale of air, popping off Bianca's head. Bianca cocked her head in confusion, then looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, how precious!" she exclaimed.

"You're okay…?" Hilda trailed off.

"I guess so?" Bianca looked back, cradling Munna in her arms. "I mean, my thoughts feel a little clearer now, but otherwise fine."

"I wonder what happened." Cheren emerged from around a wall, panting slightly from running. "Hey."

"Hey Cheren, check it out!" Bianca held out the Munna. "This little one just up and attached itself to me. Isn't it cute?"

"I suppose." Cheren sighed. "But why would it attach itself to your head, Bianca?"

"Most likely because," a new voice cut into the conversation. From the shadows emerged two new figures, both in familiar uniforms. The woman had silver hair hanging down past her shoulders and the man had blond hair and a uniform that didn't look to fit him quite right.

"Team Plasma." Hilda hissed at them, feeling her rage flare up. They ignored her.

"That pokémon there was most likely eating that girls dreams."

"Eating my dreams?" Bianca echoed, looking down at Munna.

"Yes." the woman nodded. "My name is Hun. This is my partner, Attila."

"Long time no see." Attila smirked. This caught Hilda off guard, as she was certain she's _never_ encountered these people before. But then again, maybe they were in that mob in Accumula or something. "We'll be taking that Munna now."

"Taking it?" Hilda quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't Team Plasma's thing all about saving pokémon from trainers? Letting them be 'liberated' or whatever?"

"Yes, but sometimes we, as members of this liberation force, must step in and intervene before the abuse gets to horrible." Hun continued without skipping a beat. "In other words, we must take that Munna into protective custody."

" _Please, no…"_ Hilda cast a long glance at the Munna, staring intently at it. " _They were the ones who…_ "

It trailed off, as if cringing in pain. Munna snuggled into Bianca, who comfortingly wrapped her arms around it. Her face looked conflicted.

"It's injured, clearly." Hun pushed. "We'll take it back to base and we'll keep it safe there. Then, when it is well again, we will release it back here."

"Why not take it to a pokémon center?" Cheren cut in.

"Because Munna's are very sensitive to thoughts, ambitions, and dreams of others. A hospital for pokémon injured in battle due to negligent trainers is no place for such a delicate species."

"You guys, maybe…" Bianca looked down at the hurt pokémon. "Everything they're saying makes sense… Fennel said the same things about her Munna. And Team Plasma hasn't lashed out violently, so maybe their intentions for this little one is pure…"

"Don't be fooled by them, Bianca." Vale finally said, stepping in front of her and holding out an arm protectively. "If their intentions were as pure as they make them out to be, then Munna wouldn't have sought you, a completely random newcomer, out."

"Oh-ho," Attila laughed mockingly. "Aren't you being rebellious?"

"… You should stop your lies, already." Hilda crossed her arms, looking around Vale's form. "If Munna thought you were truly going to help it, then she would have gone to you. So what are you really here for?"

"Seriously, Hun, I can't keep this up much longer, not in front of a bunch of brats." Attilla suddenly said, stepping forward. "In truth, we're not exactly _fans_ of Team Plasma's entire 'peacefully liberate pokémon' spiel. Sometimes, in order to reach a means to an end, we need to be a little rough."

"You lot came here because you seek Dream Mist, correct?" Hun asked slowly. "See, Team Plasma has plans for dream mist. This facility researched many things, including how dream mist effects the minds of others. Dream mist has the ability to put people to sleep in order to dream. Team Plasma plans on using said mist to manipulate people through dreams to release their pokémon."

"So… So you decided to beat up an innocent pokémon to make it produce dream mist?" Bianca whispered in horror, stepping back. "That's mean! Why? Why would you do that?! Aren't you all trainers too?"

"This one is a slow one, isn't she?" Attila sighed. "Listen, we already told you why. But Team Plasma is a group of trainers whose main goal is to liberate pokémon from trainers." popping his neck slightly, he brought his gaze up. "What do you say, Hun? Shall we do some 'liberating'?"

"We're going against a relatively small group of trainers, but even so…" Hun enlarged a pokéball and tossed it in the air. Out popped none other than a Yamask. "I'm sure some weaklings will be easy to defeat in order to 'save' their pokémon."

"Right up my ally," Attila smirked, sending out a Sandile.

"Whaaaaaat?! No way, leave me alone!" Bianca exclaimed, stumbling back.

"Bianca, Cheren, Hilda get out of here, quickly!" Vale suddenly ordered, throwing out her Audino as her Joltik leapt from her shoulder. "I'll handle this!"

"No way on the cold plains of hell!" Hilda stomped up next to her, sending out Petilil. "You're at a disadvantage like this. Lemme help!"

"Hilda!"

"Vale!" she mocked her desperate tone, crossing her arms. Vale looked like she had no clue how to respond. In their arguing, Attila lashed out and Sandile ran forward to attack. Hilda countered with a Magical Leaf, the colorful blades sending Sandile back in order to buy them time. "Cheren, get Bianca out of here!"

"Of course." Cheren nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Bianca, let's go!"

"But what about-"

"Go!" Hilda ordered, grinding her teeth as a sandstorm was suddenly kicked up from Sandile. Eyes watering due to the grains and particles of dirt, she squinted through the attack. She watched her friends struggling to get away, then suddenly, the weak foundation seemed to collapse. With a scream, Bianca curled herself around Munna as Cheren yanked her back.

Dust flew in the air, and the four of them saw that the shoddy exit that was there before was gone. Slowly, Hilda turned back to Attila and Hun. Attila's arrogant smirk was only matched by Hun's cool gaze as they both overlooked their destrction. Indeed, they were cornered, because if Cheren and Bianca tried to escape through any other route, they were open for attack. Attempting to climb would only result in a slow progress and an even bigger opening for an attack.

"What… What are we going to do?!" Bianca exclaimed.

"I can help!" Suddenly, Black swooped in on his Archeops, not unlike how he had when she had first battled N. "All of you evacuate, I'll handle this!"

"Like hell!" Hilda butted in. "It's just a couple of Plasma grunts, Vale and I've got this! You get Bianca and that Munna to a center!"

"Hilda-"

"But out and stop playing hero! I'm not weak! I can handle this!" she snapped, then turned to Vale. "Vale! Movesets, now!"

"My Audino is more of a support unit than anything." Vale answered, hesitantly glancing back at Bianca, Cheren, and Black. Hilda tossed a glance over her shoulder, and saw Black was guiding his Archeops to lift Bianca over the ruble while Cheren stood guarded with his Snivy in front of him and Black's Minccino was standing in a similar stance. "I don't know if Joltik is strong enough to handle a fight yet."

"That's fine, we can handle it!" Hilda shot her arm out. "Petilil, Mega Drain!"

Petilil glowed green for a moment as she focused intently on the opponent across from her, energy drifting from Sandile. Mid move, however, a blast of ominous purple flames, glittering with orange in the center, enshrouded Petilil. Hilda glared at Hun's Yamask, the flames that it summoned from it's mask ceasing around Petilil's form, having successfully burned her.

"Petilil, you alright?"

" _I'll be okay, Hil-da!"_

But something was telling her that she was anything but. Her petals were scorched and the leaves on her head was smoking slightly. No doubt she was burned.

"Yamask, Hex."

"Light Screen!" Vale shot her arm out. Quickly a screen of light engulfed the two, adding a bit of protection as the eyes on Yamask's mask suddenly snapped open, glowing an ominous red as they bore down on her Petalil. Even with the Light Screen, the scream of agony that came from Petilil's little throat ripped through Hilda's entire being.

"Knock it off!" Hilda found herself roaring. "Leave her alone! Dammit, aren't you freaks _against_ this?!"

"Some of us have varying views on how this liberation should be handled." Hun answered simply. "We believe in such a fate, but sometimes force is needed in order to see the light of our ways."

The hypocrisy in that statement nearly overwhelmed Hilda. She wanted to bolt across the field and tear her a new one… If Attila's pokémon decided to not make Petilil it's next meal!

"Mega Drain!" she ordered again, hoping to regain some HP for Petilil.

"Heal Pulse!" Vale called out, giving Hilda more time to attack. "Hilda, you need to focus on Yamask! Audino's moveset doesn't allow me to attack a ghost type!"

"I got that, but we should take down Sandile first because I have a type advantage that way!"

"It's pointless if Yamask swoops in and hurts Petilil with an attack!"

As if to prove her point, Yamask unleashed another Hex attack. Vale quickly built up more support by ordering Audino to use Reflect.

"Hilda, please listen to me, Audino is-!"

"A support unit, I get that! But we can handle this just fine!" Hilda found herself roaring at Vale. She ducked down as another sandstorm kicked up, tearing at her skin and burning her eyes. "Magical Leaf! Dammit get that thing out of here so I can see!"

"Hilda!"

"Just _support me!"_ Hilda screamed in frustration. "Petilil!"

"Sandile, Sludge Bomb!"

"Crap…!" Hilda cried out as a ball of sludge suddenly entered her vision, going straight for her type-disadvantaged grass type. She never considered it could learn a poison type move…!

"Last Resort!" Vale suddenly cried out from beside her.

Audino suddenly leapt forward surrounded in glittering gold stars. With a powerful punch that sent the stars bursting, she smacked Sandile to the side, protectively standing in front of Petilil like a mother protecting her child. Sandile skidded to the side, smashing into a pillar of ruble.

"Heal Pulse." Vale said simply, almost coldly. Audino turned and began to heal Petilil, softly stroking her head as if to comfort her. Hilda lifted her gaze to Vale, but she kept her eyes firmly focused on the battle. Considering that she was on her left, her eyes concealed by the hair over her face, Hilda couldn't properly tell what she was thinking.

"Hmph. You should be a little more careful." Hun smirked. "Yamask, Curse."

A silver prong appeared overhead, almost as if drilling into Yamask. The same prong slowly nailed it's way into Petilil's head. Hilda ground her teeth in frustration, knowing that Petilil's HP was going to lower now along with the burn. She needed to end this fast…!

"Leech Seed!" she called out in a desperate attempt to gain some vantage.

"Light Screen, then Heal Pulse!" Vale cried out with a beat.

As the protection went up, Hilda flew in with another flurry of attacks. Whenever Sandile came flying at her, however, Vale lept in with a Last Resort, simply coming down to beating Sandile until it stopped getting up to attack. Hilda threw everything into attacking Yamask, switinching between Magical Leaf attacks and Mega Drains.

And then…

" _Hil… da…"_

"Petilil!" Hilda cried out as the curse finally took it's toll, and Petilil toppled to the side. Hun smirked, raising her arm for a final attack, when…

"Enough." Vale stepped in between them while Audino provided first aide for Petilil. "Yamask is at it's limit. It's best if you retreat and leave for the timebeing."

Hilda could only stare at Vale. Her tone was cold, almost like she was ordering them to leave rather than begging them. It was… odd. The whole air about these three was odd, like there was some sort of deep-seeded resentment between them… Something that Hilda honetly couldn't place.

"Do you really think that we'll go because we're almost down and out? Do you think we'll take any orders from you?!" Attila spat. "That's honestly-!"

"What are you two doing goofing off?"

Hilda felt her entire body tense as a familiar voice echoed around them. Slowly, she looked to the left, and saw the familiar form of Ghetsis. He looked none to happy to be looking upon them.

"We, Team Plasma, shall separate pokémon from foolish people!"

This time, his voice came from the right. The four of them whipped around, and there stood another Ghetsis. Vale inhaled so sharply that Hilda was almost sure that she swallowed a bug type. However, she just looked completely panicked as her gaze flicked back and forth between the two Ghetsis's.

Suddenly, he disappeared all together, and appeared right behind Attila and Hun. One hand each wrapped around their necks, and they froze in place.

"If you cannot fulfill your duties, then perhaps punishment is in order…"

"This…" Hun muttered, face contorted in confusion. Attila had gone completely pale. "Attila, let's retreat and apologize for this… failure."

A complete one-eighty from how they were acting before, they quickly returned their pokémon and ran.

"Hold on!" Vale turned, returning Audino as she finished healing Petilil.

"Vale, wait!" Hilda yelled after her as she chased after Attila and Hun, leaving her with Ghetsis. Holding Petilil in her arms, she stood, facing him. "Don't think I'm scared of you 'cause you've got a ton of idiots like them under your thumb!"

But to her utter perplexmxent, he completely disappeared. Hilda widened her eyes, watching as an odd purple mist seemed to appear around them. Gently, a purple and pink pokémon bobbed forward.

"Musharna… right?" Hilda asked quietly. Musharna looked around in confusion.

" _Munna…?_ "

"Munna is with my friend." she found herself answering. "She got it to a pokémon center. I think she's attached to it now, so if it's alright with you, Munna will be traveling with her… Probably."

" _… Good. I wish her… good travels."_

"Hilda!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw an overenthusiastic Fennel sliding down the hill.

"I got really excited so I couldn't wait!" coming up beside her, she gasped in awe. "Is that a Musharna?! Oh, wow! Munna evolves into Musharna! Their ability allows them to transform dreams into reality, so then…"

With a gasp, she rushed forward as Musharna bobbed away. In it's place was a small cloud of purplish mist.

"Dream mist!" she squealed, quickly pulling a test tube from her pocket and bottling the coveted substance. "Thank you so much, Hilda! This will definitely benefit my research! Let's get back to my lab and I'll pay you as soon as I get there!"

And before Hilda could get her two cents in, Fennel was practically dragging her back to the lab.

o.0.o.0.o

"Attila! Hun!" Vale called after them as they reached the edge of the Dream Yard. To her surprise, they paused. Glancing over her shoulder, Hun hissed her response.

"What do you want?"

"You wanted Munna for more than just manipulation." she accused immediately. "I know you two. And I know Mask. What are your real intentions?"

"Simple." Attila spat to her. "This place used to research how to make dreams into energy like electricity. We were going to pick up on that research and power some of our things through dreams. With the ambition and "dream" of Team Plasma being so powerful, it would have been the ultimate energy source."

"On top of that, it's clean." Hun told her. "So even if we got caught or called out for using pokémon as an energy source, then Ghetsis could easily come up with the lie that the pokémon were well taken care of, as well as that, since it's clean, we're protecting the environment of pokémon."

"So it's not unlike what was being done before." Vale said accusingly. "Even under the air of these 'peaceful' motives, you're all still the same. Brutal and vile."

"As if you're any different." Hun smirked, shaking her head. "How much longer until the kind front you're putting on for those little 'friends' of yours falls apart? It almost did when your little friend refused to listen."

"How I act or feel is no front. Naturally, it's frustrating to have to work with someone who's so stubborn that she'd rather hurt herself than take advice." she shot back. "But that's besides the point. Ghetsis is Mask, isn't he? Why would he change his objection so suddenly?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, kid." Attila said simply. "We're only here because we were told to be here, end of."

"He knows you're alive, 'executive who resigned permanently'. If you want to leave this region with your life, Vale, I suggest you try groveling at his feet." Hun said simply, her words not sympathetic in the slightest, simply cold, hard fact. "Outside of that, he's going to find you and probably kill you."

"I'm aware." Vale crossed her arms, shutting her eyes. "Even so, your warning is appreciated."

"Appreciated?" Attila snorted. "We aren't warning you, we're telling you. This isn't out of concern, this is simple fact. That, and we'll probably have to clean up the mess he makes. So save us the trouble, why don't you?"

"Sorry if I'm causing you trouble, but I'm not leaving until N sees the light behind his father's words. Until then, you all are going to have to put up with me."

"Good luck with that." Attila shook his head. "That boy is to far deep, he's even more brainwashed than you."

"If I, of all people, could break through the walls that Mask set up, don't you think he could as well?"

"Get back to us on that when he stabs you in the back for Team Plasma." Attila mocked.

"Besides the point, weren't you the one who had to fake her own death in order to get away?" Hun responded, turning on her heel. "Let's go, Attila. We need to report back."

Attila let out a grunt of disappointment as they continued forward.

Vale did little more than watch them go. At least now, she decided, she had gotten what she supposed was confirmation of her thoughts.

Mask and Ghetsis were certainly one in the same, and no doubt now that she has a target on her back. One part of her was certainly fearful, she knew that he would stop at nothing to eliminate a threat to his plans. But another part of her knew she had to somehow put an end to all of this before things became truly chaotic.

If there was anything that Ghetsis had taught her, he taught her to eliminate a problem before it got to far out of hand. Surely he didn't expect to keep pulling stunts like having Attila and Hun, of all people, hunt pokémon, and then still claim to be a "peaceful movement"?

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda absently rolled over in her bed, looking at the dollar-store alarm clock that was barely illuminating the room with it's bright red numbers. It was one in the morning, and she was in a pokémon center.

After the battle, she got her payment from Fennel and then ran to the pokémon center to get Petilil a checkup. A quick heal-up later, she ran into Bianca, Cheren, and Black. Well, more like Cheren and Black. Bianca had passed out on a waiting-room couch using Black's jacket as a makeshift pillow. Cheren simply explained that everything that happened had taken it's toll on Bianca, and she just collapsed the minute that Nurse Joy took the Munna into care.

Shortly after, Cheren shook Bianca awake and led her back to her room. Black asked about Vale. Hilda had curtly responded that she had no clue where she was. She'll probably contact them in the morning. Surprisingly, he hit the hay as well, deciding to not bother her any longer. Hilda paced around until Nurse Joy returned her Petilil, and then she herself decided to try to turn it in.

But something was bothering her. Something she's been trying to understand for a long time.

Giving up on sleep, she dug through her bag and pulled out her three pokéballs.

For years, ever since she got Eevee, she could somehow… hear them. When she was young and told adults, and even her parents, they wrote it off as her being an imaginative kid, giving her pokémon a voice. After all, her father would humorously 'make' his pokémon respond with his own voice. But as she got older, she began realizing how nuts it was for her to be 'hearing' pokémon talk. Soon, she just wrote it off and ignored it, saying that it was nothing.

Of course, she's heard of trainers being exceptionally close to their pokémon being able to understand them and their wants. That could excuse her knowing what Eevee was saying, she's had him forever. But Oshawott and Petilil didn't count. And she never heard of anyone fully understanding and hearing their voice.

"Alright." she whispered under her breath. "Eevee. Am I going crazy or are you guys… actually speaking?"

" _We've always been able to speak."_ Eevee said, almost wisely as he licked at his paw. " _It's just a matter of someone willing to listen."_

 _"I've never met a human who could understand us!"_ Oshawott said with a laugh. " _But then again, I've never met many humans!"_

 _"Hil-da is sooooo great!"_ Petilil beamed. _"Hil-da is a special human! Very, very special!"_

Hilda exhaled shakily, resting her forehead in her hand as she propped her elbow in her knee. Grabbing a fistful of her bangs, she tried to reel in her emotions. On one hand, this reassured that she wasn't completely nuts, right? Right. But on the other hand, she didn't want to be special, she wanted to be normal. She just wanted to go on this journey, help out her mom, and live comfortably.

Her eyes burned with tears of frustration. Not willing to cry in front of Black, asleep or not, she tilted her head back and blinked her eyes, praying that they won't spill.

" _Hilda?_ " Oshawott asked, placing his paws against her leg. " _Are you okay?_ "

"Yeah." Hilda said through gritted teeth. "I…"

" _Your friends are right."_ Eevee said, walking up to her and hopping onto her lap. " _Don't lie to us. You and I have both known that you could understand me, ever since you were a child."_

" _Hil-da…_ " Hilda looked down at the teary voice, seeing Petilil staring at her with teary eyes. " _Hil-da, no tears please._ "

 _"Yeah, Hilda!"_ Oshawott curled his little paws into fists. " _Think of the advantages this will have in battle! We'll kick butt because we have an advantage no one else has!"_

 _"No one but that odd character from before."_ Eevee commented. That struck a particular cord with Hilda. He could talk to pokémon. Could he have something to do with her ability to talk to them?

"I'm going to go to bed." Hilda said, pulling out her pokéballs and pressing the buttons. Before she returned them, however, she averted her gaze, then spoke. "Thanks. I guess."

Before they could answer, she returned them. Falling back on the pillow, she stared up at the ceiling.

 _I swear to Arceus… I'm going to wring N's lanky neck next time I see him._

o.0.o.0.o

"Ghetsis, sire," Hun bowed to the leader of the Seven Sages, her head facing the ground. "Forgive us, we failed in obtaining Munna, Musharna, or a sample of Dream Mist."

"A couple of kids interfered." Attila muttered from her side. "It's no excuse… sire," the word came out forced… unnatural for Attila, Hun was sure. "But if I had stronger pokémon to work with here, I could've crushed them!"

Ghetsis slowly approached them. Hun unintentionally felt her fists clench slightly. She flinched when she heard the sound of skin against skin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Attila's face, red blossoming on one cheek from where Ghetsis had struck him. She closed her eyes, hoping to keep her composure as best she could.

"Know your place, _grunt."_ Ghetsis seemed to get a kick out of reminding them of where they were as of now in the organization. However, he used it to rub salt in the wounds, just enough to make it effective, but not enough to make it sting any less every time he brought it up. "Besides, I don't entirely mind that we don't have the dream mist. We don't necessarily need to manipulate them in their dreams. These people are simpleminded. Already, after a few of our speeches, we've convinced those imbeciles to release their pokémon. Then why, you must be wondering? Why go through the trouble? Well,"

With a menacing smirk, he pulled a recorder out from his sleeve. Holding it up to him, his smirk seemed to grow.

"I believe I got what I wanted."

Pressing what Hun assumed was the play button, the recording was played. Instantly, the two recognized the voice of Vale.

 _"Ghetsis is Mask, isn't he? Then why… why did he suddenly change his objection?"_

"Seems the girl is somehow alive." Ghetsis sighed. He shook his head. "No matter," he replayed the recording, as if relishing in her confusion and worry. "We'll continue on with our mission. We'll become rulers of Unova. And if the traitorous wretch gets in the way,"

Vale's voice played over a third time. The mad glint in Ghetsis's eyes seemed to grow.

"Then we simply eliminate her."

Hun simply bowed her head slightly. No matter what act he put on for his mysterious son or the plethora of people in Unova, she knew that he was still the cold maniac known as Mask. But nonetheless…

"Yes, sire."

o.0.o.0.o

 **I kinda wanted to emphasize how Hilda sort of doesn't take direction well from others in this battle. She just surges ahead and insists on trying to be independent and handling the battle herself. I thought I hinted at this decently enough with the triple battle with Cheren and Bianca, but considering they've been her friends since childhood, they're kind of used to this.**

 **But paired with someone who doesn't know her as well as her friends, I kinda wanted to emphasize how much her stubbornness interferes with the battle at hand. Her friends know to work around her and support her in a pinch, whilst Hilda can't really work together with others when it comes to fighting. Her logic stated she should take down the pokémon that was weak to her quickly so that she had an advantage, without considering that Vale's normal-type Audino may not have an effect on Yamask.**

 **That aside, I'm exhausted. It's twelve thirty at night and I need to work tomorrow. So happy reading, and don't forget to review!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	9. The Duel Daycares

**My dear reviewers, the end authors notes is kind of important to a future story. I hope you take the time to read it, as they are vitally important.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only OCs that may made any appearance.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda was never a morning person. So unlike other people who woke up at the crack of dawn to start their day, she chose to roll out of bed at an even eleven in the morning… maybe noon if she was especially tired.

However, it seems that she was going to have a self-imposed alarm clock today.

" _Hil-da, Hil-da don't you dare complain! Hil-da, Hil-da wake up and start the day!"_

The sing-songy voice of Petilil echoed in her ears. Before Hilda could roll over and curse that it was eight in the morning, another one of her pokémon beat her to it.

" _Petilil, shut your mouth, I'm tired."_ that was Oshawott.

 _"You're tired? Why? I was fightin' yesterday and I'm chipper and ready to go!"_

 _"I had to fight a gym battle."_

 _"You know, there will be more of those to come."_ Eevee's voice entered the fray. " _Never had I thought that I'd meet a pokémon almost exactly like Hilda."_

Oshawott said something snarky, and at that, Hilda propped herself on her elbows and grabbed Oshawott by the tail.

"Yo." she said simply, glaring at him. "Pick fights all you want, but I'm not dealing with infighting in this team. Get along with them."

Turning him rightside up, she placed him on the bed and glanced around. Petilil was on her stomach and Eevee was overhead, sleeping on her pillows.

"So why are you all out of your balls?"

" _We let ourselves out."_ Eevee answered simply. " _While the capsule is fine and all, I'd take a bed over that any day."_

 _"I wanted to be with Hil-da!"_ Petilil smiled.

" _Ditto on what Eevee said."_ Oshawott answered. Hilda glanced at the three of them, grimacing at the idea of their fully evolved forms fighting for dominance on a twin bed.

"I'll let it slide for now." Hilda crossed her arms. "But once you lot start evolving, don't think I'm going to share the bed."

" _That's fine._ " Oshawott said simply, curling up next to her. " _You can buy me a brand new bed each time I evolve. Preferably one so that, when I become a big, awesome Samurrott, I can fit comfortably."_

"Care to explain why you woke me up?" Hilda asked, glaring at Petilil.

" _It's time to go!_ " Petilil bounced about excitedly. " _It's time to start a new day to our adventure!_ "

"Sure," Hilda flopped down on her pillow. "At eleven thirty. I'm tired."

" _Aw, no! Get up, Hil-da!_ "

" _Hilda, I am hungry. Perhaps you should wake up."_

"Oh my Arceus…" Hilda groaned, then stood up, shooting a glare at Eevee. The pokémon, used to her antics because he's dealt with it for so long, simply licked his paw.

" _Well?"_

Hilda let out a groan, then rolled out of bed. Eevee was right, she had more than herself to care for now. Even if she could wait until noon to eat, her pokémon might not be able too.

" _Yep, yep! If we hurry, we might be first for breakfast!"_ Petilil encouraged excitedly.

"Fine," Hilda groaned, picking the same clothes she threw on the ground the night before and pulling them on. Not even caring about her hair, she threw it in her normal ponytail and pulled it through her hat. Though not the most fashionable, it was definitely the most convenient.

Not that she really cared what other people thought.

o.0.o.0.o

"So how are we going to make this work?" Hilda stared at her three pokémon. "Two of you need to go back in your balls, not my rules, blame the laws. I can only carry one of you in a public area like the city unless I'm in a designated free space. So who's walking and who's going in the ball?"

Breakfast went off primarily without a hitch. She piled up on eggs and bacon while her pokémon filled up on delicious… kibble. Or whatever it was. But now, she was trying to decide who was walking with her and who was going to be going back into their pokéball.

" _I'm tired, so I'll sleep."_ Oshawott yawned to prove his point.

"Point taken." Hilda held out his pokéball and returned him. Turning to Eevee and Petilil, she quirked an eyebrow. "Well?"

" _I hear there's a daycare over yonder on the next route."_ Eevee said simply. " _I'd rather not be pointed and pulled at, thank you."_

"Easy enough." Hilda said simply. She knew that Eevee got enough stares, and if there was a daycare center for kids on this route… She returned Eevee, and lifted Petilil. "You're with me today, Petilil. Think you can hang on?"

" _I'll be just fine, Hil-da!"_

"Then let's go!" Hilda grinned, stomping towards the exit as Petilil cheered her on.

o.0.o.0.o

She wasn't sure how it ended up happening, but while she was marching, she ended up marching in beat to Petilil chanting her name. It took a couple of odd looks from trainers before she realized that this probably looked stupid and she chose to walk at a normal pace.

There wasn't much past Striaton City on route three. Like she had read on the route sign, ahead was a pokémon Day Care and a Preschool, nicknamed the Duel Daycares to simplify things, and then past that is Wellspring Cave. But she's heard rumors of how caves were notorious for being a haven for Woobat. How every five steps, unfortunate trainers encounter one or two and have to fight them off until they finally managed to find the exit in the midst of their directionally challenged dysphoria with half-dead pokémon in their balls.

Yes… While the experience would be nice, she desperately, desperately did not want to get stuck in there and loose time.

So instead, she trudged along until she hit the Duel Daycares. With all honesty, she planned on stopping in and asking if there was any good pokémon to catch up ahead. Considering the most service they must get is from people in the surrounding area, they had to have a good grip on the pokémon population. And Hilda knew that good trainers don't get rich off of raising Patrats, and the eleven-year-olds hanging out on route one and two were her proof.

She made sure to completely avoid the preschool and just beelined it for the Daycare Center. Honestly, Hilda wasn't sure she had it in her to ruthlessly beat up some poor four-year-olds pet for some measly pocket change. She may be greedy and out to be the richest of them all, but she wasn't a heathen.

After talking to the daycare attendant and repeatedly insisting that no, she did not want to have her pokémon raised for her, she managed to get a good idea of what was around here. Typical route one pokémon, with Basculin in the water is she felt so inclined to fish and Blitzle's in the tall grass.

Considering she hardly had the patience to wait for a Basculin to bite and the fact that she already had Oshawott, she thought her best bet would be catch a Blitzle. Electric types were always a good call to have, and it seems this was going to be the earliest encounter with one. If she caught one now, she could train it up to be completely _badass._

So with a mission in mind, she marched out of the pokémon daycare. She cast her gaze next door, seeing the little kids all surrounding a taller person. Arceus bless that persons soul. Hilda hardly had the patience for children, let alone tiny tykes who could barely speak.

She heard tiny cries of terror, and when she looked over again, she saw the guy had released an enormous Siesmitoad. The children were shrieking in terror, running away as the guy cocked his head in confusion.

"Put that thing away! You're scaring them!"

"Bianca…?" she craned her head and saw several of the tykes were pulling at her skirt, trying to hide behind it. She glanced back at the character in question and felt her entire body light up with flames of fury.

She totally took back what she said about Arceus blessing _him._ She hoped the tykes rubbed their snotty noses all over his jacket, hoped they cried so loud that it would make him deaf.

"You _MORON!"_ she yelled, yanking Black back by the collar. "Put that thing away! Are you _serious?!_ They're like, three! What kind of _dolt_ lets out a pokémon as tall as a man with a butt on it's head in front of a bunch of kids?!"

"Well, they wanted to see my strongest pokémon, so I thought I'd show them Siesmitoad." Black said simply, as if he failed to see the entire problem behind this. "So I granted their request. True, he's not the strongest pokémon I've ever had, but he's up there."

"Show them you Minccino! Or Pansear! They wanted to be impressed, to ooh and ahh over something cute, not have something from their nightmares materialize!"

"Oh." Black glanced over at the kids. "Was that the problem? Why didn't you say so?"

He laughed, and returned Siesmitoad. The only sounds for a moment was a bunch of crying kids as attendants tried desperately to calm them down. Bianca was also doing his best, and Black was smooth talking his way with the adults. But there was one little kid who caught Hilda's attention.

This one was older than the other kids, about seven or so while the others were all five and under, with hair that was black, stick straight, hair that hung to her shoulders, skin holding an tan hue. Hazel eyes blazed with furry as she stomped up to Black wearing what looked like knee-length cargo shorts and a super-hero T-shirt with sneakers.

"You stupid jerk!"

A surprisingly high-pitched voice came out of the kids mouth, catching Hilda odd guard before she completely doubled over with laughter. This little girl, apparently, had downed Black by easily kicking his shin.

"You made Ava cry! Be smarter next time, idiot!"

"Zoe!"

A young, bespectacled man, maybe about nineteen years old, came running up to them wearing obvious business clothing. Like the girl, his skin was tan and his hair was black, only his eyes were a bright green. He placed his hands on the girls shoulders, pulling her back away from Black.

"Zoe, we don't call people 'jerks' or 'idiots'." he chastised, kneeling down next to her to make eye contact. "Apologize to the young man."

"No way, Quincy!" Zoe retaliated. "He released a huge pokémon and scared Ava!"

She pointed in the direction of the slide. Hilda lifted her gaze along with Quincy. She saw the flash of a pink tutu, but nothing else, assuming the girl was hiding there.

"It doesn't matter, that behavior is rude." Quincy said simply. "Go apologize, or I'll take your fighting games."

"But-"

"Zoe. Now." he pointed at Black. Zoe's gaze slowly relented as she clenched her fists.

"You're not my dad, you… you… dumb brother." she muttered as she stomped up to Black. She glanced back at her older brother, then she let out an exasperated sigh as Quincy crossed his arms. "I'm _sorry_ I kicked you shin and called you stupid and an idiot. There, happy?!"

"Yes." Quincy glanced at the center. "Is Mom inside? Is she aware of the situation?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Zoe, crossed her arms.

"Go tell Mom and Casper, I'll get Ava." Quincy sighed. Zoe rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath as she stomped back into the center. Approaching Black, he bowed his head. "Excuse my sister's behavior. That was uncalled for, but I suppose a sarcastic apology is better than none?"

"No way, he brought that on himself." Hilda cut in before Black could speak. "Don't be fooled, this guy totally freaked them all out. Zoe was justified. So get this," she jutted her thumb in the direction of Black. "This idiot thought it would be a _brilliant_ idea to let out a huge Siesmitoad. Freaked out everyone."

"Really now." Quincy glanced back at Black. "Even so, Zoe has a tendency to… react before she thinks. She was in the wrong."

"All is well." Black smiled. "Don't worry about it. A small kick from a child isn't enough to down me."

The duo trailed alongside Quincy as he went to the slide. After a brief exchange, a little girl who looked exactly like Zoe but dressed completely opposite of her came out from hiding. She was wearing a bright pink tutu with a white T-shirt, a Teppa Tepig logo on the shirt. In her hair was a pink bow.

"Are you here to pick up your sisters?" Black smartly moved the conversation away from his blunder.

"Oh, no, my mother runs this place." Quincy answered. "I'm Quincy Bennet, by the way. This is my little sister, Ava. She's Zoe's twin. They live on sight and I live in Nacrene to work. I bike back to help here from time to time."

"Quince!"

A voice echoed from the doorway, punctuated by screaming of an little kid. A young teenage boy around thirteen years of age was pushing long bangs off his forehead in slight exhaustion. The screaming continued.

"Kenlee saw you from the window and she won't stop!"

"Ah…" Quincy sighed. "Come on, Ava. Let's go play with Kenlee."

"And Kenlee is…?"

"My youngest sister." Quincy said with an exhausted smile. Bringing his gaze up, he saw Bianca happily playing finger games with the other kids, still waiting for your parents. "Is she with you…?"

"Yeah, she is." Hilda crossed her arms, shooting Black a suspicious glance. "But she seems happy enough right now."

"You don't mind, do you?" Black asked.

"So long as she's not about to hurt them…"

"Bianca?" Hilda snorted back a laugh. "Please. She'd never do something like that."

Quincy brought his gaze up to one of the aides, and gestured her over.

"That's Bianca, and these two are…"

"Black and Hilda." Black answered. Hilda glared at him.

"Right, Black and Hilda. I'm going to invite them inside for refreshments to make up for Zoe's behavior. Bianca is a friend of theirs, and she's planning on playing with the children. She's not a danger or a threat, but just keep an eye on her. If she looses interest or asks about her friends, tell her they're inside, okay?"

"Yes, Quincy." Quincy watched her go back to the children, then turned back to Hilda and Black with a hospitable smile.

"I'm sure your friend is a lovely person, it's just protocol when it comes to children."

"That's completely natural." Black said without missing a beat. "Admirable, even. The children should always come first."

 _Says the guy who terrified half of them with his huge as hell pokémon_ , Hilda immediately thought.

"So you're in charge of this place?" Hilda asked as Zoe bolted down the stairs to what Hilda assumed was an apartment up above. Casper had already bolted up the stairs and the screaming of a two year old continued. On the lower floor, Hilda saw bright colors and a ton of toys.

"Not exactly." Quincy smiled as they reached the upper apartment. "My Mom runs the place for the most part, but we rely heavily on our caregivers and assistant director. We also own the operation next door, but we leave that to the devices of the manager."

Opening the door, they were met with the surprisingly quiet room. A little girl with long curly hair was sitting on the lap of a woman in a rocking chair. Casper was running around trying to pick things up.

"Kenlee." Quincy cleared his throat. The little girl brought her gaze up with a big smile, bolting from the woman's arms and latching onto him. The woman turned her head with a soft smile.

"Quincy," she said his name affectionately, her voice warm with love. "Are you home for lunch? This is a pleasant surprise."

"I am, actually." Quincy grinned. "Saving up those fifteen minute breaks gave me enough time to visit you today during work."

"And you brought friends?" she craned her head slightly.

"Oh, well, they aren't my friends exactly." Quincy glanced back at them. "This is Black and Hilda. I'm assuming Zoe told you?"

"She told me a young man brought a cute pokémon and everyone started freaking out. When Ava started crying, she got mad and kicked the trainer."

"A lumbering blue thing with a butt on it's head is cute to her?" Hilda couldn't help but ask skeptically.

"It was a Siesmitoad." Black explained briefly. He remained in the doorway, as if uncomfortable.

"Oh, I see." the woman laughed behind her hand. "Yes, my Zoe has quite the taste in aesthetics. I'm sorry she kicked you. She just gets so angry when Ava gets upset. I do believe it is a twin thing."

She slowly stood from the rocking chair and smiled at them.

"Can I invite you in? My name is Eleanor, and it sounds like you've become acquainted with all of my children."

"Talk about a family." Hilda grinned. "I'm an only child and I _know_ I was a handful."

"Oh, they're all very helpful, especially Quincy and Casper. They're such good big brothers."

"Mom." Casper whined, face dusted a light pink from embarrassment.

"So, where's dad? Working in Nacrene, like you?" Hilda wasn't sure who she intended the question to be for, probably Quincy since she brought up his work. A deadly silence fell over the room. Hilda felt the tension in the room and she swallowed. "Sorry, my parents are separated and my Mom was super open about it."

"No, it's fine." Quincy said stiffly as Eleanor shut her eyes. "Dad walked out. That's all."

Hilda couldn't help but frown. If nothing else, she was a family woman, through and through, even if her family was a bit divided. But the thing was, her parents separated on good terms and she kept good communications with her Dad. It sounds like their dad up and left for no real reason, and it had to be as recent as two years, considering Kenlee's age.

Hoping for someone to smooth-talk their way out of this awkward situation, she glanced back at Black. He was lingering in the doorway, and Hilda glared at him, wishing he would get his ass in here and thing of something to say that would make this god-awful tension go away. However, his lips were set in a firm line and his hands deep in his pockets. He hadn't moved an inch.

"You coming in, Black?" she demanded.

"Excuse me." Black turned on his heel. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to go and check on Bianca, thank you."

Hilda blinked, then narrowed her eyes.

"'Scuse me while I get that idiot." Hilda said, tromping down the stairs.

Halfway down, she grabbed Black's elbow.

"Dude, what the hell?" her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "They seem perfectly fine and you're going down to flirt with my best friend? Are you _shitting_ me?"

"Let me go."

Hilda widened her eyes as Black slowly glared over his shoulder. His eyes were cold as ice and his mouth was twisted into a snarl, a long, far comparison to the smile he usually wore.

"The hell…?" she trailed off. She narrowed her gaze. She may be surprised but she wasn't deterred. "I'll bet that if Zoe, Ava, or Kenlee were older than ten, you're be fine, right? Better yet, Eleanor seems single. Why don't you become a Dad at age sixteen. Or are you going to pull that respectful crap all over again?"

"Don't even _think_ of acting like you know me."

"Don't force me to make assumptions." Hilda shot back. "Don't put on that stupid act in front of me and I won't have to guess what's up with you. But from what I know, you like girls, you're manipulative, you hide behind a smile, and that's it. What am I supposed to think?"

"You don't need to think," Black said slowly, then quickly seemed to either regain control of himself or got over whatever was bothering him, because he looked back with a smile. A familiar smile. A fake one. Unsettling. "All you need to do is fall in love with me."

Hilda narrowed her eyes and shoved his arm back at him.

"Like hell." she hissed at him, her body tensed. That smile was weird. It wasn't right in the slightest. It was to quick. People can't just slap something like that on their faces. It was wrong… Really, really wrong. "You-"

"Hilda, hold on a moment." Black suddenly reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder. A part of her tension eased, what with the fact his face dropped into a less creepy and forced smile. Now it was more analytical. Curious, almost.

But then she realized he was touching her and she wanted to kick him down the stairs.

"Don't you dare-!"

"Look." he pointed above her, and Hilda lifted her gaze. The hanging lights above them were swaying slightly. She furrowed her brow in confusion. Funny, she didn't feel a breeze…

The swaying seemed to grow as the lights further shook back and forth, casting odd shadows over the walls.

"What the-"

" _EVERYONE, FIND COVER!"_

Black's shout had to have echoed outside. Not even five seconds later, the entire building was shaking. Hilda let out an involuntary yell as the stairs were shaking under her feet, gripping the railing in order to not completely fall face first, ass second. Above her, Kenlee began to wail as Casper and Quincy seemed to scramble to keep Ava and their mother safe.

"Hilda, get _down_!" Black ended up yanking her down so that she was laying awkwardly on the stairs.

"Don't touch-!"

"Cover your head!" he ordered, almost as if he didn't hear her protests. As picture frames began to fall, Hilda took orders, covering her head as best she could with her arms. Her heart leapt to her throat as something heavy fell over her, but only a few seconds later, her shock turned to rather conflicting emotions when she realized it was Black, covering her head by laying over it.

She hoped to the great _Arceus_ that he didn't expect a flipping thank you.

Just as quickly as the shaking began, it stopped. There was a long silence as no one seemed to move, and then the cries of terror and the smell of chemicals filled her senses.

"Miss Eleanor!" an aide cried as Black slowly stood. Ignoring her, he looked down at Hilda.

"Be careful of after tremors. I'm not sure if that was really an earthquake or not, but there's danger regardless."

"Er… Right." Hilda sputtered out.

"Miss Eleanor! Are you alright?!"

"I'm… I'm fine!" a soft voice called. Hilda stood and began scrambling up the stairs with Black going the complete opposite direction. She had no clue where he was going, but the smell of smoke was bothering Hilda and she wanted to get everyone out, now.

"You!" she yelled to the aide. "Help me out! There's smoke somewhere and we need to get everyone out of this building immediately!"

"That's the problem!" the aide cried, rushing up the stairs as Quincy appeared at the top, Kenlee in his arms. Hilda practically snatched the girl out of his grasp and shoved her into the aides arms. "The Pokémon Daycare next door… There's a gas leak!"

"Are you _shitting me?!"_ Hilda found herself roaring, forgetting the fact children were here and letting some language slip. "Dammit all… You help Quincy here get everyone out, We need to get someone over here like, an hour ago!"

Pounding down the stairs, she burst outside.

"Bianca! Black!" she roared, the scent all the stronger outside. "Get everyone outta here,that place is leaking gas!" she thrust her arm towards the pokémon daycare. "Anyone who has a phone or something of the sort, call the police! _AND FOR THE LOVE OF GREAT ARCEUS DO NOT LET ANY FIRE TYPES OUT HERE!"_

Cue panic. Aides were rushing to get the children out and the kids were crying out of fear. Hilda, unsure how to respond, watched the chaos with wide eyes. Her eyes flicked about frantically as she tried to figure out where to go from here.

Then something caught her eye.

At the very edge gates of the Duel Daycares, she saw Zoe angrily flailing about as an adult was yanking at her wrist, a pokéball in her hand. Suddenly, the man pushed her to the ground and bolted with her pokéball.

Hilda recognized that uniform. It was a Plasma grunt. Did they have something to do with the quake right now? And did they seriously just mug a seven-year-old for her pokémon?!

As she opened her mouth to shout, suddenly a loud whistle echoed just next to her ear. Snapping her head to the side, she saw Black standing next to her, successfully having caught everyone's attention.

"Everyone!" he shouted. "I know the situation is scary right now, but if we panic, things will only get worse. I need everyone to evacuate the immediate premises in a quick and orderly fashion and towards Striaton City, as it is closer. Police and safety are on there way and this should all be cleared up quickly."

His words were oddly soothing, and as if realizing what was wrong, the aides began to evacuate people. With them clearing out, Hilda brought her gaze back to Zoe, but saw her small form chasing after the man.

"Damn it all…" Hilda muttered, then bolted after her.

"Hilda?!" Black called her name. She glanced over her shoulder.

"Stay here and keep doing whatever you're doing! I'm going after Zoe!"

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda was looking around scowling to herself as she searched the tree lines for a little girl that looked androgynous enough to pass as a boy.

"Cheren!" she shouted upon seeing her friend. He had a concerned but confused look on his face as if he saw something that both troubled and dumbfounded him. "Have you seen a little girl or some Plasma grunts around?!"

"Not exactly." Cheren said slowly, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "But I did see a long-haired boy throwing rocks at a couple of Plasma grunts. It looked like they were running towards Wellspring Cave."

"That's her." Hilda said immediately.

"Hilda, what's going on?"

"I was at the Duel Daycares up ahead to ask about pokémon, and ran into Black and Bianca. Then there was… an earthquake, I guess? I don't know but the entire place was shaking and now there's a gas leak and I saw some Plasma grunts mugging the owners daughter, Zoe, of one of her pokémon."

"Hold on, slow down." Cheren held up his hands. "An earthquake? I know I felt that, but this area, not even this country, is prone to earthquakes."

"Then maybe a pokémon set it off. I don't _know,_ okay? Black took control and is evacuating a place."

"And this… girl… Zoe. She got mugged?"

"Yeah, I saw some Plasma grunts wrestling for her pokéball and then they ran off." Hilda scowled. "I think that they caused the earthquake too, though I couldn't tell you how."

"Then we need to follow them." Cheren said simply. "I already trained in Wellspring Cave, so I'll show you the way."

"Quickly!" Hilda chased after him. Cheren, never much of an athlete, fell behind slightly and Hilda ended up dragging him behind with him giving directions.

Soon, the grass turned to stone as the two stood at the entrance to the cave. Hilda's skin bristled from the cold draft that came from within.

"Are your pokémon okay?" Cheren asked between pants for air.

"Fine," Hilda touched the top of her head, realizing Petilil was still up there. With all due honesty, she forgot the little one was even out, considering she's been so quiet since they reached the center. Was she sleeping? "Petilil, you okay?"

" _Scared, Hil-da."_ Petilil responded. In a reassuring manner, Hilda patted her head.

"You'll be fine." she glanced back in the cave, hearing shouts. "Let's go."

Stomping inside, is the scene wasn't so disturbing and pathetic, she might have laughed. Zoe was panting like she ran a marathon, a rock in her hand as she stared at her opponents. Next to the two grunts was piles of rocks, probably the projectiles Zoe was using to get her pokémon back. In front of the grunts were two pokémon, a Sandile and a Pidove.

"Give her back!" Zoe shouted angrily. "Give me back my Solosis, you jerks!"

Hilda lifted her gaze and saw the grunts were holding a jelly, cell-like pokémon hostage. It was whining and squirming in their grasp.

" _Your_ Solosis? You incompetent child!" one of the grunts snapped. "A pokémon cannot be owned! A child like yourself could never use this pokémon to its fullest potential. Obviously, that is making it sad!"

"Now, now," the calmer grunt said, shaking his head. "This girl is also the daughter of that horrendous woman who runs that slave house. Abandoning pokémon there to be forced to fight to a higher level, or breed eggs incessantly only to have them taken away by greedy trainers. How could she possibly understand the concept of this pokémons suffering?"

"You…!" Zoe trailed off, squeezing the rock tighter. "I don't understand all that you're saying, but you're talking bad about my Mom! And she's not a bad person, not in the slightest!"

"Then let me explain it in words you can understand." the calmer grunt said, pointing at her accusingly. "Your mother is a woman who is running a slave business for pokémon. That is all that 'Pokémon Daycare' is. And for that reason… We needed to eliminate it."

"With all due honesty, I was sure that earthquake was going to knock the place down." the other grunt said, shaking his head. "Oh well. A gas leak will put it out of commission for a while. Hopefully, you and your family go bankrupt as karma for your acts against pokémon."

"Oh, like you're one to talk." Hilda finally decided to step in. "You preach and preach, but then you only have the balls to steal something from a seven-year-old."

"And what would someone like _you_ know?" the grunt holding Solosis snapped. "You're just as bad, a immature trainer who can't even properly pull out the potential of her pokémon."

"If you're so sure you know what that Solosis wants," Cheren said simply, crossing his arms, evidently calmer than both Hilda and Zoe. "Then why don't you let it go and allow it to decide? That's what you lot want, correct? Pokémon's happiness? If Solosis truly wants to leave Zoe, then it'll leave."

"Yes, but this pokémon is blinded by the false affections of her trainer. It couldn't possibly know what's best for it."

"That's a crock of hypocritical shit and you know it!" Hilda snapped back. "You just want to steal that Solosis because they aren't very common around here, right?! Pokémon aren't helpless, they can think and act for themselves! And besides the point," she placed a hand on her hip, a sly smirk crossing her face. "If you really were trying to "liberate" Solosis, then why is it struggling to get away from you?"

"It doesn't matter!" the angry grunt snapped. "We will liberate this Solosis right here and right now!"

"Something tells me some of these grunts use the terms "liberate" and "stealing" interchangeably." Cheren sighed, letting out his Roggenrola. "Zoe, stand back. We'll get your Solosis back for you."

"You… You better!" Zoe exclaimed, stepping behind them.

"We have to be careful, Hilda, that Sandile must know earthquake, so-"

"Kill is with magical leaf!" Hilda shouted as Petilil leapt off her shoulder. This Sandile was hardly as strong as Attila's was, and with on hit, it was down. "Ha! You can teach that thing good moves with TMs, but it's useless if it's about as strong as a Patrat!"

"I concur." Cheren sighed as the opponents Pidove fellt to the ground. "For some grunts who caused an earthquake, I thought this would be more challenging than a one hit knock out."

"Give her back!" Zoe shouted, stomping up to them. "Give back Solosis or I'll throw more rocks at you!"

"How… How could we loose when we have justice on our side?!" the calmer on cried out, stepping back.

"Buzz off, kid! We liberated your Solosis! Be grateful that it's going to a good home!"

Zoe stomped her foot angrily.

"Solosis is a she and her home is with me! Give me back my pokémon!"

"Don't you dare return it!" another voice shouted from within the cavern. Two more grunts came from within.

"What's your status report?" the second one asked.

"We successfully dispatched an earthquake and put the Pokémon Daycare out of commission for a while!" one reported proudly.

"We tried to liberate this Solosis from this girl, but those two showed up and beat our pokémon…" the other trailed off.

There was a tense silence as no one spoke a word. Then, quietly, one of the newer grunts held out his hand.

"That pokémon's pokéball, please." he said simply. The grunt gave her a shiny, new-looking pokéball. With nary a word, he slammed the device on the ground and crushed it under his boot.

He glanced back at the trio. Cheren's mouth was parted slightly and Hilda's glare was venomous. Zoe looked unsure how to respond, as if she was to shocked to cry but about ready too.

"You…!" she cried out as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"This way is better. Now Solosis can truly be free." the grunt said simply, then turned. "Let it go back to the wild, we've accomplished our mission here."

Then they ran, leaving Solosis bobbing in the air. Zoe's fists were clenched as she looked at her pokémon.

"Was I a bad trainer, Solosis?" she finally asked. "'Cause if I was, I don't think you should stick around. I ain't gonna be like Ava who's kind and likes to give her pokémon hugs every day. And I'm not responsible like Casper or able to give pep talks like Quince. But… I'm going to go to school to learn all about being a good trainer. So I'll be better…"

Solosis was quiet and then she drifted down and bumped against Zoe's cheek.

" _You're fun to be around. Keep things interesting, so long as you learn some responsibility._ "

Hilda felt a small smile tug at her lips, then she bent down to be at eye level with Zoe.

"I don't think you need to worry to much." Hilda said simply. "You and Solosis are going to be great partners, just so long as you learn to be responsible enough to care for her. But you're what, seven? You still have a good nine years before you can legally get a license in this country, and that's plenty of time to grow. And besides the point," Patting her on the head, Hilda held out a new pokéball for Solosis. "Who likes a stereotypical, goody-two-shoes hero anyways? This world needs more badasses in it, and I think you fit the bill pretty well, kid!"

Zoe's eyes were wide as she stared at the pokéball in Hilda's hand, then looked up at her.

"Sorry they smashed yours up. You can use this one. And be grateful, those things may be cheap but it's my money! You better not get this one smashed up too!"

"I won't!" Zoe grinned, taking the pokéball with a huge grin.

As she recaptured her Solosis, Cheren came up next to Hilda with a quizzical look on his face.

"That was out of character." he said offhandedly. "You're usually the type to shout at her to pull herself up by the bootstraps or something of the sort."

"Yeah, I know." Hilda shrugged. "I don't even really like kids, but something about her kind of reminds me of myself. And I don't want her thinkin' that she's in the wrong about who she is. Maybe it's not my place or whatever, but my mom always encouraged me to be the way I am."

"I hope to the great lord Arceus you're not steering this child wrong." Cheren sighed as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"She'll be fine," Hilda shook her head. "I think I turned out pretty okay, don't you?"

Cheren had a wry smile on his face as he shook his head.

"Well enough, I suppose." approaching Zoe, he spoke. "Come along, now. We'll see what's going on back at your home and continue forward from there."

o.0.o.0.o

Current Teams

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m), Litwik(f), Pansage(m), Munna(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m), Panpour(f)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Pansear(f), Siesmitoad(m)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I honestly really liked this chapter. I'm not sure why. I think Black was fun to right, and it's fun to write Hilda's developing relationship with her pokémon. I'm not sure if she's in denial about being friends with her pokémon, but I can definitely say that she's not the whole "We'll be friends foreeeeeeeever" type of girl. She's more like… I wanna say "the gruff parent" type. Like, they're aware she loves them, but she doesn't show it all that well.**

 **Oh! And I think the Bennet's were great. I just wanted to create a really dynamic family that's not a mess and a half. I mean, yeah, their Dad is gone, but it's more along the line that 'Yeah, this happened to us, but even still, we've gotta be resilient and move forward!'. I promise that the Duel Daycare family(the Bennet's) aren't just filler characters. They'll have a role sooner or later.**

 **And yes, the battle was underwhelming. It was uneventful and I figured I'd save the battles with whelm for a later date.**

 **So reviewers, heres my question for you! How many of you would be interested in reading a side series involving Pokémon Ranger games? I've thought of calling it** ** _The Ranger Anthology_** **or** ** _The Ranger Trilogy._** **The reasoning for the two titles is because I'm not sure about writing the first game, as I already have ideas to tie it in with the Saga, especially so to pertain around a couple of characters who have yet to be introduced.**

 **In order for such a thing to work, I would need this story to take place at least five years BEFORE Leaf Green, and considering I have not actually played the first game(only seen walkthroughs), I think it would be easier for me to just have characters from Shadows of Almia reference the endeavors of Solana and Lunick, or maybe have a prologue chapter completely detailing it. I've also been considering simply adding it to the saga, such as titling the stories** ** _The Adventure Saga; Shadows Within Us_** **for Almia and** ** _The Adventure Saga; The Pact of a Guardian_** **for Guardian Signs.**

 **Genuinely, Pokémon Ranger is by far one of my favorite games, and truthfully, I've loved it since I've discovered it. I've been praying for a new game since Guardian Signs, but no luck, it seems. I love it so much I even based my first story,** ** _Angel Wings,_** **around it(Note, I don't suggest reading that, I wrote it almost five years ago and it's probably the only remnants of my terribly cringe writing before I realized that a story needs to flow, things don't just HAPPEN.). I want to give it a shot again. I want to write a Ranger story the right way this time.**

 **So my plan is to ultimately finish this, then start the next part of the saga and write it side by side with a Shadows of Almia story(mostly for what happens in this segment, so you all have a LOOOOOOONG time to think about this). I'll put a poll on my profile to see what your opinions are, so please, do check it out!**

 **With much appreciation and love,**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	10. Fuel Alternatives

**Hey reviewers! I actually decided to write some rough drafts of a ranger story… and something about it felt right. So I'm going to start writing it, but not publish it until the next part of the saga is out!**

 **That being said, I'm deciding the fate of most of my other stories. Expect an authors note about it within the next chapter or so!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs(Vale, Sara, and the Bennet family).**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

" _WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY ARRESTS?!"_

Hilda slammed her hands down on the table in the interview room, startling the two officers that had been interviewing her.

With the gas leak in the pokémon house, the entirety of the premises has been evacuated and roped off, children, pokémon and workers alike being corralled to Striaton in order to precent any poisoning from the gas. On sight was an ambulance for both pokémon and humans, getting immediate treatment who were hurt when the earthquake went off or suffered from the effects of poisoning.

While getting the children situated, aides and Eleanor, were calling parents and giving them the information they knew. For the most part, the children were okay since they were all outside. The only real injury was one little boy who tumbled down the slide and sprained his arm because he was at the top. Quincy was taking on the task of calling trainers whose pokémon were in the daycare house, telling them to come and get them from the Daycare PC box, leaving the passcode for them. Those who were injured were taken to the Striaton center, and when they are healed, they will be put into the same PC box should the trainer not arrive within two weeks.

While Eleanor and her eldest son were doing their best to do damage control with the parents and trainers of their children and pokémon respectfully, the police were doing interviews to figure out if this was some sort of crime. Hilda practically leapt at the chance to tell them what happened; how two Plasma grunts had been at the scene, and how they stole Zoe's pokémon, and how they confessed in that cavern that they had used a Sandile to cause the earthquake with hopes that they'll make a move on this irritating organization.

But when she finished, the two detectives had the audacity to _laugh_ at her, then told her, as if she were an inexperienced three-year-old, that they couldn't make an arrest.

"When we have the account of one girl who saw this event happen, we can't just go out and arrest members of Team Plasma."

"Then arrest them all!" Hilda said with a scowl. "Every time you find one, go out and arrest them!"

"And, pray tell, why?"

This one looked like he was trying to not laugh, but his smirk failed him.

"Because not only did they mug a seven-year-old, they also hurt the lives of a ton of kids and pokémon! On top of them, a couple of them were poaching Munna's and Musharna's in the Dream Yard! My friends and I could've gotten really hurt and they already had practically beaten a Munna to a pulp before we intervened!"

"And was this incident reported to the local police?"

"Well, no…" Hilda faltered for a moment, but then regained her bearing. "But I know what I saw! These guys are criminals hiding behind a mask of being peaceful! I've _fought them!"_

"We can't go arresting every Plasma member we see based on the testimony of one sixteen-year-old girl." one detective shook his head, as if she should have known better.

"But what about Zoe?! And my friend, Cheren, he fought with me! And then there's Bianca and Vale and Black! They were there too!"

"So we go from one teenage testimony to a handful of teenage testimonies."

"Plus a child." the second detective added on, considering Zoe is just seven.

"Miss White, maybe you just thought you saw Team Plasma? Evidently, you have a strong dislike towards their beliefs, so it could be possible that your mind misconstrued what you saw amidst the chaos?"

"Stop making fun of me!" Hilda slammed her hands down. "This is not funny! People are going to get hurt! You need to get these thugs off the street!"

"We can't just do that." one cop shook his head.

"Yes you can! They're no different than Team Rocket! They're a mob!"

" _Team Rocket_ was a mob, young lady. They've proven that through violent means and have thus been put on a police alert should they be spotted. _Team Plasma,_ however, has been nothing but peaceful towards the citizens of Unova.

"I just told you they mugged a seven year old girl and caused an earthquake that hurt a ton of people and were poaching pokémon in the Dream Yard! How is that _peaceful?!"_

"You and who else, huh?!" one of the cops finally snapped back. "We've been spending all of the latter half of the afternoon interviewing people, children and adults alike, and you're the only nutcase who's here saying this was an intentional act of violence and that one of the children got mugged!"

"Then interview Zoe, and she'll tell you too!" Hilda hardly back down, getting right in his face from across the table. "Don't make it out like I'm the nutcase when you're ignoring the problem!"

"There isn't a problem! Team Plasma is just a bunch of out there pokémon rights activists who happened to come together and form a weird group! They're nothing to worry about and I'm telling you-"

"No, I'm telling _you_ to put down the donuts and get out there and investigate!"

"Ma'am!" the other cop cut in. "We're here investigating the cause of the earthquake. We're basically here to make sure this wasn't set up by the Bennet family in order to secure insurance money."

"That makes no difference! Team Plasma caused it!" Hilda continued to insist. "I'm telling you! They had a Sandile that used Earthquake that caused the accident!"

"And how do you know it was a Sandile that used Earthquake?"

" _BECAUSE THEY FUCKING CONFESSED IN THE WELLSPRING CAVE!"_ Hilda practically roared. "Seriously, if I could speak nine other languages, I would tell you in those languages too!"

The two cops looked at one another, then gave her a serious glare. Hilda narrowed her eyes.

"May we have access to the information on your pokémon and your PC records?"

"Why?" Hilda snarled back.

"Sit down, Miss White." the other cop said. Hilda refused.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Well, you just happen to have some rather odd explanations of how the earthquake happened. Oddly specific."

"For the love of Arceus…" Hilda groaned, settling into the chair. "Why? Why are you cops so _stupid?"_

"We're asking the questions Miss White, now then-"

"Oh, finally found you!"

Hilda promptly slammed her head on the table. And to top it off, not only did she have to deal with the idiot cop duo, not she had to deal with her freaking nemesis. Why was Black here? What did he want? Why did her life have to constantly be in a state of chaos? Can't she just make her money and move on?

After a few minutes of some rare self-pity, as she very rarely indulged in such, she realized that she couldn't clearly hear Black's voice. Funny, she thought, usually he was rambling on and on about something. She didn't really know what, but his voice was so grating that it was odd that she only heard muffled sounds.

When she lifted her head, she saw Black grinning at her and the cops sitting with sullen looks on their faces.

"You may leave, Miss White." one said before he got up and left alongside his partner. Hilda watched them go, then looked back at Black.

"So what was that?" she asked.

"Nothing much." Black grinned. "Words go a long way if you know how to use them."

"Whatever." Hilda stood up, crossing her arms. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome!" Black practically sang, easily keeping in stride with her walk as she left the station. "So what're you going to do now?"

"Go back on the route and try to get to Nacrene City by nightfall." Hilda said simply, stomping through Striaton. "This whole thing with Team Plasma and those stupid cops took up my whole day. I knew I was gonna be taking a day or two to travel the route, maybe adding on another half to find a pokémon to catch, but now I'm behind."

"Well, it's not like getting rich is an overnight endeavor."

"Yeah, but there's the term 'get rich quick' and I'm planning on putting it into effect." Hilda glanced back at the pokémon center, which had become temporary housing for some of the kids as their parents ran about trying to get to them and the police officers were trying to get consent.

In the midst of it all was Eleanor Bennet, sitting in a wheelchair holding Kenlee to her chest as the young girl tried desperately to get to Quincy, who was still making phone calls, pushing his hair off his forehead as the frustration seemed to take hold on his nineteen-year-old mind. Casper was doing all he can to help, but at this point, he was simply making sure Zoe and Ava didn't go anywhere as he stood guard at the back of his mother's wheelchair. The twins seemed content enough holding their pokémon, Zoe entertaining herself by letting Solosis float up, then bringing it back down while Ava simply cuddled her head into her Munna.

Eleanor looked utterly exhausted, with bags under her eyes and long, somewhat thin hair hanging in her face, having finally come loose from the low ponytail in her head.

"I didn't realize that she was sick." Hilda couldn't help but comment. "She looks exhausted. No wonder Quincy works so far and Casper takes on so much responsibility. Even if they're good kids, a set of twins and a two-year-old has to be a lot to handle. All of them probably had to grow up fast."

She scowled at the ground, unable to watch any longer.

"What a shitty man, to leave your wife like that. What sort of bastard up and abandons his sick wife and five kids? They're you're responsibility, together. By getting married, everything should be a shared responsibility. Even separated, your kids, at least, are your responsibility."

"I guess some people don't see it like that." Black finally said. "Some people don't see the children as their responsibility, and some pick and choose which should have their care. Some people think that, even after making a commitment, they can still live as they please."

Hilda didn't expect to hear that come from Black's mouth, honestly. Of all people to talk about the commitment of a relationship between man and wife, she thought he'd be all like 'Yeah, it's a sucky thing he did, but hey. Live fast and die young! There's a lot of fish in the sea!'.

"You believe in marriage commitment?" she asked skeptically.

"Not necessarily." Black said musingly. "I believe in commitment to the children, at least. Until they hit sixteen, they're your responsibility after all. Relationships come and go. Feelings are constantly changing. Those two things are probably the most unstable things in life. That, and psychology and/or mental health." his lips quirked slightly, as if he made a good joke. "But children are a constant. No matter what, they're your responsibility from the moment they're conceived. And it's up to the parents to care for them."

Hilda glanced back at the Bennet family, over her shoulder as they walked away and towards the exit of Striaton.

As much as she wanted to say something to dismiss his words or completely disagree with them all together, Hilda couldn't do it. Mostly because she _agrees._ No matter the circumstances in her mind, parents should always care for their children. Even her dad, who she hasn't seen since she was five and was nothing more than a tall, faceless man with brown hair, kept contact and at least remembered holidays and child support. It looked like the Bennets were completely on their own…

Of course, she reached this conclusion over a course of events not including her parents divorce. Interacting with Bianca's and Cheren's starkly different parents was a huge help.

Bianca's dad was a prick and her mother, much to submissive. If there was ever an oppressed woman in a free country, Hilda was pretty sure Bianca's mother fit the bill. Even still, she claimed that she was happy dawdling around the house having the staff wait on her, and that her husbands protective… borderline possessive and controlling behavior was an act of love.

Cheren's parents, however, were almost the complete opposite. His father, an OCD nut, obsessively kept his house pristine and neat, so far as using Q-tips to clean the especially hard to reach spots. At one point, Hilda vividly recalled having to wear paper-towel slippers over her shoes when she went over; which led to a lot of mock skating games which were super fun. Once he deemed her and Bianca "none contaminated", he began to relieve some of the obsessiveness. He never complained about messes or kids making messes. Just… hovered a bit and cleaned where he was needed. Cheren's mother, on the other hand, was a super intelligent lawyer that worked cases across the country. A woman who saw through all BS… a menace when it came to catching liars. She full out would interrogate them and not hesitate to start a fight with fellow parents who falsely accused her son or his friends of wrongdoings. After all, in her mind, Cheren was an angel child and could do nothing wrong.

Naturally, this led to a lot of arguments and police calls when it came to her and Bianca's father. Never again would their little birthday get togethers or even town get togethers be the same. Probably, this feud fed into Bianca's fathers overall distaste for Cheren in a whole. No matter what he became, he would always be his mothers son.

Then, in the middle of it all, was her mother, the neutral ground.

Her mom had always been a tough, but gentle, nut. While arguments were flung between feuding families, she'd be the one to walk into the middle of it with a plate of cookies and a smile. A smile that was welcoming, but also demanded they cut the bullshit because, for the sake or Arceus, they were scaring the children. She was always lenient, but firm. The kind of woman that would let her steal from the cookie jar once, but twice, and Hilda could expect her least favorite cookies, raisin looking disgustingly similar to chocolate chip, in that jar next time. And in the middle of all her caring love, she was working her two jobs; lawn maintenance during the day and janitorial work at night in Accumula. And even after all of that, Hilda always remembered coming home to something on the table, with a welcoming hug and a woman waiting to hear all about her adventures or her day at school.

All of that, to raise her only daughter to not be a perfect child-she thought perfection was overrated, after all- but a daughter who was good enough to make a good impact on the world.

Evidently, Hilda thought that she was experienced enough to have at least an educated opinion on the topic of parents and their kids. So in the end…

She wondered what made Black come to his.

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda kept insisting she was one grass patch away from Nacrene, but trying to get through the clusterfuck that was previously the Duel Daycares-now roped off and filled to the brim with investigators- she gave up.

However, she came prepared. Pulling out her bag, she immediately began pitching a tent in the middle of the forest.

"How did you fit a tent in that thing?" Black asked, watching her from afar.

"A good cheapskate always do their best to not have to pay! If there's not a pokémon center nearby, I'll pitch this here travel tent and sleep in the wilderness!"

She was proud to say this. So very, very proud.

"You know, there's probably a cheap hostel or inn along this path we could stay in."

"But that costs money and a tent is just as good!" Hilda affirmed. "Where're your balls, Black? Don't men like this whole camping thing?"

"I don't exactly make it a point to sleep in the weeds." Black sighed, settling against a tree.

"Well, if you're to much of a pansy to sleep out here, go find your cushy little inn." Hilda said, hammering the final peg in the dirt. "I'm gonna be saving enough cash to buy myself a breakfast sandwich when I reach Nacrene."

"If you wake up for breakfast." Black teased. Hilda shot him a glare. "Don't think Bianca hasn't talked about your sleeping habits."

"Don't talk to Bianca, creep." Hilda growled at him. Shooting him a glare, she stood. "Well, aren't you going to go to your cushy inn?"

"I'd be remiss to leave a lady alone in the woods." Black took off his ball cap, revealing a full head of spiky hair. Hilda simply stared at, knowing those spikes were surely gravity defying… "Besides, times are dangerous. Thieves, ruffians, wild beasts…"

"This isn't some stupid RPG." Hilda snarled at him. "And I'm no damsel."

"You could be." Black hummed back. "Trouble seems to follow you, so you never know, Hilda."

Hilda glowered at him, taking off her hat and pulling out her ponytail. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Black leaning against the tree wit his arms crossed casually behind his head. Scowling, she released her Oshawott. He snorted, blinking up at her.

"Get up, you've been sleeping all day." she said simply. Oshawott glowered.

" _What?"_ he demanded.

"Keep watch," Hilda pointed over at Black. "Until that tumor falls asleep. He won't leave, so I need you to make sure he doesn't open this tent. And if he comes close, you better cut his damn hand off with Razor Shell."

With permission to be persistent and possibly violet, Oshawott smirked.

" _Can't wait. The jerk so much as twitches, I'll slice and dice him to ribbons!"_

"Don't go to nuts."

"You do realize that threatening me with your pokémon is conspiracy to commit murder, correct?" Black chimed in

"Yeah, but if my loyal guard Oshawott if fending off an attacker, then I'm good." Hilda shot back, climbing into her tent. "You know what to do if he moves, Oshawott."

Oshawott saluted.

" _Yes, sir!_ "

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda did not sleep. While she trusted Oshawott to be only the most loyal of guards, she did not trust Black to not try to attack him. After all, Oshawott may have a big head and be full of bravado… but there's only so much arrogance will get you when you're one foot seven. One foot seven, barely level fourteen, against a dude who seemed to have strong pokémon on his team.

The blue, butt-headed one would probably smack Oshawott to the side like a lily pad or something.

So, with how stubborn headed she was, she stayed awake well into the night, meticulously listening for him to make his disgusting, creepy move.

Checking her X-tranciever for the billionth time, she saw that the digital clock glowed just past four thirty. She was dead freaking tired, but still, she waited. She had to wait until she was sure she was safe, then she could sneak away at sunrise and then crash on a bench or something in Nacrene. Or in the pokémon center. On a mattress.

A comfortable mattress with a soft pillow and a warm blanket…

"Fucking idiot." she groaned to herself, rubbing her eyes as she felt herself drifting. "Not yet. Not yet. Sunrise is a six, just an hour and a half. You can fucking make it."

She probably couldn't. Hilda could never make it, ever. All the slumber parties she had with Bianca, all the late night parties that were held in her hometown or the overnight school parties they attended… It always ended with her crashing at ten at night. Never has she made it to the new years celebration at midnight, never has she watched the ball drop in Castelia City square… It was like her body had a set timer. Like gas in a vehicle, when she ran out, she dropped and stopped moving.

But at this point, she was fueling herself on pure stubbornness and distrust alone. Apparently, it was a great fuel alternative.

At this point, she was humoring the idea that she was completely manic, when suddenly, it happened.

The flap of her tent moved.

"I knew it, you son of a-!" she screamed with glee, only to come face to face with blue eyes rimmed with yellow, a black snout, and a white lightening bolt. The pokémon glared at her. She blinked back.

Then the son of a bitch snatched up her bag and retreated from the tent.

 _"GET BACK HERE, YOU FUCKING THIEF!"_

Hilda was sure that her roar had echoed across the forest and into the cities beyond. But she didn't care. She scrambled out of her sleeping bag and out of her tent, roaring obscenities as she chased after the pokémon.

Maybe it was because she was to exhausted to care, or maybe she was sick of the bullshit called "adventure" not two weeks in, but she was sprinting after the pokémon for all she was worth. _Everything_ was in that bag, from her spare clothes to her items to her _Arceus damned money._ And she wasn't about to let that thief of a pokémon make out with it.

Fueled by rage and perhaps mania, she made a running leap and tackled the pokémon around the neck. The pokémon was shorter than her, bipedal with a head that reached her shoulder, not counting the stupid lightening bolt on it's head.

In the back of her mind, a tiny voice mocked her. But Hilda, it said, isn't this the Blitzle that you were so keen on catching earlier?

Damn straight, and once she wrangled her bag from it's damn mouth, she was going to manually _shove it_ into a pokéball.

For being such a small thing, at least in comparison to her mothers Bouffalant, this thing knew how to buck. Like, seriously, she was getting tossed around like she decided to dive headfirst into an ocean-speaking solely based on stories from Bianca and her family vacations to Johto and other exotic locations.

But then again, her mother was a menace when her kid was in danger. Had to be, considering she was on her own. Maybe she subdued that Bouggalant to be gentle and docile around her?

"Give. Me. My. Damn. BAG!" she roared, each word coming out with a corresponding spasm from the Blitzle.

Fed up, she tightened her grip, then literally threw the pokémon over her shoulder with an almost impressive backbend. She knew she didn't expect such an attack to come from her, and she was pretty certain the Blitzle was to shellshocked to move.

"Damn thing thinking it was smart to fuck with me when I've been up way to fucking long…" Hilda muttered under her breath as she dug through her bag as the first sunshine of dawn began to peek over the horizon. Finally finding a pokéball, one of the three ultra balls she got for buying ten great balls in Striaton, she tossed it at the semi-stunned Blitzle.

Smartly on the pokémons part, the Blitzle remained in the pokéball, officially caught.

"Well then."

Black's voice echoed behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, opening her mouth to say something… But to her, it seemed like her fuel had finally run out.

She was certain she was asleep before she hit the ground.

o.0.o.0.o

 **For the record, Hilda's mother was a wrangler on a Flocessy Ranch before she got together with Hilda's father and had the girl in question. So maybe the strength is genetic?**

 **Isn't it funny how inspiration works? I'm running on about three hours of sleep right now and thought it would be funny if Hilda wrangled a Blitzle that stole her bag. That led to me thinking about the history of Hilda's parents, and somehow, I ended up with this.**

 **Sorry if it's a short fillerish chapter. But like I said; three hours of sleep, and I'm gonna be on a twelve hour drive tomorrow.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	11. Those Who Understand

**So, I read through my last chapter, and I've misspelled Bouffalant as "Bouggalant".**

 **Let that sink in for a moment.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs(Vale, Sara, and the Bennets).**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

"Hmm…" Black thought musingly as he picked up the pokéball that Hilda had basically left. Inside was none other than the Blitzle she had tackled earlier. "Carry Hilda back to the campsite and risk possible assault, or have Siesmitoad carry her back with hopes to see her try to wrangle her?"

He glanced back at Hilda, holding her bag in a death grip, her eyebrows furrowed as she laid in the grass, dead asleep.

Black chuckled slightly as he jostled his hood slightly. Mincinno suddenly popped up, grappling up onto his hat.

"Mincinno, scout ahead to make sure the path is still safe." he ordered simply, letting the small pokémon crawl down his arm and hop onto the grass. "The last thing we need is that Blitzle's team to come charging us because Hilda decided to wrangle one."

Mincinno nodded, darting into the forest. He approached her, and set the pokéball next to her hand. Leaving her in a heap on the ground, Black turned and sat against a tree, waiting for his pokémon to return.

Honestly. This girl was a trainer, and instead of sending out a pokémon, she thought her best course of action would be to fight the pokémon herself. He's never heard of any sort of professional doing that, let alone a sixteen-year-old girl, fresh into the world of pokémon.

And then she just dropped, asleep! It was like her body couldn't handle it anymore, and she just collapsed! Seriously, it's been a long, long time since he was genuinely taken by surprise… But how was someone, anyone supposed to react after this girl bursts out of her tent roaring bloody murder about a thief, then wrangled said thief to the ground. caught it, then collapsed asleep!

Crossing his arms, he bowed his head slightly, the sun now rising higher into the sky. If nothing else, this made him realize something.

He had a feeling from the beginning that Hilda was going to be different. Just how different, he wasn't sure, and he still wasn't sure. After all, he was used to girls like Bianca. Girls who went red when he made a simple, offhanded comment. A comment that was said with a nice, sincere-ish smile. But Hilda was no Bianca, and she made it perfectly clear that simple flattery would get no where with her. In all actuality, he had a feeling Hilda could _see through_ some of his acts.

Oh well. Maybe Hilda just needed someone to stand unaffected by her flames of fury.

Mincinno came back as that thought drifted through his head with a smirk. Black glanced at him,.

"Well?"

Mincinno gave him the thumbs up, and Black stood. Approaching Hilda, he wrenched her bag from her grasp, slid Blitzle's pokéball in, and slung it over his shoulder. Deciding any assault Hilda inflicted, he could handle, he hefted her over his shoulder like a sack, then made his way back to the campsite.

o.0.o.0.o

Vale made it to Nacrene early in the morning, marveling at what she saw. It was an odd place that had more warehouses than homes, almost as if the warehouses overtook the homes. If that weren't enough, all of the buildings were covered in paintings, some murals, some graffiti. It was like, in this city, this art wasn't wasn't considered an act of vandalism, but rather, an appreciated gesture of the many artists who passed by.

It was an interesting place nonetheless.

There was hardly a soul about, the only thing that really indicated that there was any sort of people here was the lights that filtered through the doors of some of the warehouses.

People must be waking up to start the day, she mused. Her own pokémon were still asleep, and Vale herself rarely slept at all. She usually just took brief, one to two hours naps at a time.

Letting out a quick exhale, she recalled the mission she was given by Fennel. Her research wasn't human dreams, but rather, those of pokémon. So if she wanted even a hint at her early childhood, she needed a pokémon from her childhood.

Of course, she had two pokémon from her childhood, that she could recall. Both of which, however, she currently did not have.

But if she could find N…

Shaking her head slightly, she berated herself. She couldn't go back on that, not when he so evidently seemed to hate her at this moment in time. Not that she entirely blamed him. How did she expect him to respond when she all but abandoned him?

She felt Joltik nuzzle against her neck, and she smiled, gently petting him. This little one, if nothing else, is very good at making her feel better when she was down.

"Do you want to take a rest, or are you comfortable there?" she asked quietly. Joltik mewed it's name, crawling onto her hand. In an act of entertainment, the little guy jumped up and did a backflip. Vale couldn't help but laugh just a little. "Yes, I'm better now. Don't push yourself."

Joltik smiled at her, then crawled back up on her arm and onto her shoulder. Vale knew of certain trainers that would let pokémon ride on their heads or shoulders, but she never really understood it. To Mask, he made it out like it was a hassle, that any pokémon she wanted to submit to her must remain in their capsules, only to be let out when needed to battle.

Kind of hypocritical of him, based on his little speech in Accumula.

Regardless, that was what she thought until this little one decided to make his spot permanent on her shoulder. Even if it was only a few weeks, she almost felt incomplete without him there.

Coddling Joltik, she hadn't realized she was walking by the warehouses until one of the doors noisily opened. Startled, especially since it was on her left side, she jumped back.

"...N?" she asked hesitantly as his pale blue eyes stared back at her, widened with surprise.

Quickly, though, the shock turned to distaste, not exactly hatred, and he tried to slam the door shut.

"Hold on!" she exclaimed, getting her arms under the door and basically playing tug-of-war with N, who was trying to shut it. "N, I just want a moment-!"

"No!" N shouted back defiantly. Vale felt something bubble in her at that moment.

She knew that the terms they left on were not good. They had separated because she did not believe in the "cause" that Ghetsis had instilled in his head. If that cause was pokémon liberation, she could now understand why it made her seem like the bad guy. N loved pokémon, so her rejection of that cause probably came across as a personal insult. But nonetheless, Ghetsis, his father, probably was filling his head with all sorts of sickening things about her.

He did, after all, probably have a file cabinet and a half filled with things that would make her look bad, especially to N.

But… even still, was she so horrible that she didn't deserve the decency of a conversation with the young man who once considered her a friend?!

Suddenly, she shoved him back and slipped under the door. Slamming it shut, she sighed, then turned to N. He was krabby-walking back like a startled pokémon, staring at her with wide eyes. Behind him, she saw many pokémon looking at them, startled. Some were even getting into defensive positions, ready to fight.

"N, I just want a conversation." she said slowly, her hands up, hoping to not startle him or the pokémon. Bowing her head, she couldn't help but say her next words with bitterness. "Or did Ghetsis convince you that I don't even deserve that?"

o.0.o.0.o

This time around, Hilda woke herself up with a snore. It took only seconds for her to realize that she was not in her sleeping bag, instead, laying haphazardly on itchy, uncomfortable grass. She shot up, her lower back popping form the odd positioning, whipping around to look at where Black was.

He was still there, petting his Mincinno.

"Good morning, Hilda." he greeted, quirking a smile. "Or should I say, good afternoon, Ms. Wrangler?"

She furrowed her brow, face twisting into a scowl.

"What the hell are you going on about?" she demanded. Black simply held up his cross transceiver, clicking it on and showing her the time. It showed that it was about two in the afternoon.

"It's almost as if you stayed up all night, Ms. Wrangler." he commented as Hilda groaned. She knew she was a late sleeper, but she must have wasted and entire day sleeping!

"And 'Ms. Wrangler'?" she finally asked.

"Oh, do you not recall? You burst out of your tent screaming about a thief, and I managed to catch up to you seismic flipping a Blitzle over your shoulder. You caught that Blitzle, you know. I put it into your bag."

Not moving her eyes from Black, she reached for her bag and opened it. Like he said, on top, was a pokéball. Taking it, she tilted it slightly through the sunlight, and through the top of the capsule, she saw a Blitzle. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Oshawott happily snoring away.

"Some guard you are." she muttered, rubbing her temple. Note to self, have Eevee guard next time. Finally, she ran her hand down her face and stood, bending over to gather her hair to tie it into a ponytail. Crawling inside the tent, she grabbed her hat and, once it on, she began to dismantle her tent.

"I have to say, I've never seen someone crazy enough to fight a pokémon for a bag."

"Got that from my Mom." Hilda grunted as the pulled up one peg. "She was a wrangler on Flocessy Ranch way back when she was about my age. The only woman I ever met who was strong enough to take down a Bouffalant on her own."

"Sounds like a wonderful woman." Black mused.

"Don't get any ideas, asswipe." Hilda hissed at him.

"Not that I would." Black crossed his arms. "I wouldn't go after a taken woman."

Hilda wanted to snap back that her mother was divorced, but then she thought better of it. Let him think her mother and her father were still together. She already made a mistake by not clearly indicating that Cheren and Bianca were together… at least, not yet.

She felt a shudder of disgust sink into the pit of her stomach. Damn creep.

"So what do you plan on doing about that Blitzle?" Black asked as she finally managed to get the pegs out of the ground.

"Keep it, of course." Hilda responded. "I need a good electric type since I've heard there's a flying type gym. Electric types are also useful against water, and if nothing else, he'll be a good ride pokémon."

"Maybe you should check the gender before assuming it's a he." Black suggested. "I mean, you did seismic flip it over your shoulder. Your relationship is already rocky, and if you call it by the wrong gender, it might further spoil it."

Hilda furrowed her brow, contemplating that. He was right, in that sense. In all honesty, if someone had, as he put it, "seismic flipped" her then captured her in a pokéball, she wouldn't be too keen to be friends with that person either. And if someone had assumed she was a dude, she'd try to impale them.

So without a word, she used the camera scanner on her pokédex and scanned the pokéball holding Blitzle. A beep resounded from the device, and she glanced over the screen. Basic information was shown, such as height, weight, movesets, and gender.

Turns out, Black was right, as this Blitzle was a girl.

"Good thing you checked."

Hilda practically leapt to the right, skidding to a halt only to see Black cheekily smiling back at her with his hands in his pockets. She didn't even see him move, let along hear or feel him behind her…

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

Oh, this ass was playing dumb. And he had that stupidly cheeky smile. That annoyingly, Arceus-awful, stupidly cheeky smile.

"I hate you."

"You won't for long."

" _Shut up."_ she hissed. "Now."

To emphasize that, she released Blitzle from her pokéball. Blitzle immediately glowered at her and reared back. Hilda in response, grabbed it's horn as it came down. This basically locked her in place, allowing Hilda to bend down so she was eye to eye. The Blitzle's eyes burned with rage.

 _"You stupid human."_ she snarled. " _By the time I'm done with you, you're going to wish you left me well enough alone."_

"Enough of that." she snapped. "I caught you fair and square. I don't care what you think of me, but you so much as attack me, I won't hesitate to flip you again. That's justifiable self defense."

" _You think I give a damn about your petty human laws? I'll make you eat your words, human!"_

"I don't care. You can hate me all you want, but from my perspective, you've got it better off with me. With me, you have meals every day. With me, you get treatment if you're injured in battle. With me, you have all the invigorating battles you want." she lowered her voice slightly so that Black wouldn't hear. "And something about you makes me think you want a tough battle."

Suddenly, she felt a jolt shoot up her arm. Letting out a grunt, she snapped her arm back, massaging the limb, aching from the shock. Blitzle snorted, glaring at her, but said nothing. They were locked in a stareoff until, finally, Hilda held up her pokéball and returned her.

Staring at the pokéball, Hilda found herself sighing. What was it with the past day and night with her meeting entities that carried a similar demeanor to her? First Zoe and now this Blitzle? How in the great name of Arceus was she going to tame a pokémon that shared her same attack first question later mentality?

Suddenly, someone grabbed her other hand. Quickly jerking it up, she would have hit Black in the chin had he not stepped back.

"Don't touch me." she hissed.

"I wasn't doing anything naughty." Black held his hands up in surrender. "I was checking your arm to see if you were burned or anything."

Hilda glowered at him. Surprisingly, his eyes didn't hold any ulterior motive, like he honestly wanted to see if her arm was okay. If there was one thing she learned about Black since she met him, he couldn't completely gloss over his eyes. He could manipulate his face into any emotion he wanted, but his eyes always showed the truth.

After all, from her experience, most people did have trouble glossing over their eyes.

"I'm fine." she stepped back. "She'll come around eventually."

Black didn't really respond, letting out a sigh like she was an exasperating child. Hilda went back to packing up her things. She wanted to, at this point, just get to Nacrene City so she could find something outside of a tree root to eat.

o.0.o.0.o

The atmosphere was tense and awkward as Vale kept her gaze locked on N. He didn't make a move to come towards her like he used to. Instead, he kept retreating back into the pokémon hidden in the back. Finally, once he was right in the middle of the pack of mis-matched pokémon, he spoke.

"Leave."

"No." Vale shot back stubbornly. N looked like he was at a loss for what to do. So he scooted further into the safety of his pokémon, retreating yet keeping himself out front, like she was going to hurt his pokémon friends if she so much as moved. Finally, he slowly stood at his full height with his eyes now depicting an icy-glare at her.

"You will leave, _now."_

His words were cold and like daggers. Spoken like the true son of Mask. If his father were here, he would probably be proud. No doubt he had trained him to speak in such a way. After all, Vale herself had received her own lessons on how to drop all emotion from her voice. To make it particularly cold, to command attention and authority.

Vale chose to ignore that though, certain that she could still try to at least get a few words out of him. It was odd, she knew that, to him, she was completely in the wrong. She had abandoned the organization, abandoned him, threw whatever friendship they had out the window. But she knew what she did was right, no matter how many times that look- _his look-_ of betrayal flashed in her mind.

"These pokémon where abandoned by humans. Left to starve in these streets. The last thing they need is for you to hurt them, _Destroyer."_

Vale flinched at that. So N was aware of what she was trained for. But to what extend did he know of her crimes?

"N, it's hard to accept you as cold and uncaring when you're out feeding homeless pokémon." she said slowly, lowering her hands slightly with hopes that this would prove she meant no harm. Smiling softly, she lowered her head. "Honestly, I'm glad that hasn't changed. I was scared that Ghetsis would have tried to erase that from you."

"Do not speak of him like that." N said sharply. "My father is a good, just man."

Vale shut her mouth, pursing her lips. Perhaps that was a stupid thing to say. She wanted to get closer to N, and he was quick to justify and defend his fathers actions. But… He couldn't be completely naive, could he? On one hand, N might have blinders on. So excited to please his father, to make Team Plasma's beliefs a reality, that he just ignored any problems there were. On the other, Vale can't put it past Mask to manipulate and twist N around to make him _believe_ he was kind and just.

She thought of his speech in Accumula, and how softly he smiled, radiating peace convincing everyone that his intentions were peaceful.

Vale could at least give him that. That man was a brilliant actor. A brilliant actor, or he understood the psyche of human beings much to well… so well he knew exactly what buttons to push, which strings to pull…

"I don't need you, I never needed you." N insisted, though a part of Vale was begging to ask if he was trying to convince himself or her.

"If you never needed me, then why seek me out?" Vale asked, trying to keep her voice steady. It was hard enough hearing all about her uselessness from Ghetsis.

 _No,_ she berated herself. She had to stop that nonsense. She had to separate herself from Ghetsis's words, from everything he said. Words to him, she had to realize, were tools. Nothing he said was genuine, just a way to manipulate and control others.

"Those were all… accidents." he faltered, as if he was taking a moment to think of the right word. "All accidents. We ran into each other on coincidence, that which couldn't be helped."

"So then it was also accident or coincidence that you were riding on the back of a Gyrados in a flooding base and crashed through the wall of the room that I was in."

That wasn't a simple question, but rather, a declaration of fact. N's mouth twitched, completely turning his head to avert his gaze.

"That…" he finally whispered. "May have been a mistake."

"Maybe it was." Vale said, closing her eyes. "I will not hide the fact I wanted to die then. But I won't resent you for saving me."

"If you wanted to die, then you should resent me."

"Is that because you think I should resent you, or because you want me to resent you?"

"You should resent me, as I resent you." N glared at her.

"But I don't resent you. In fact, I'm happy that you had cared enough to come back for me."

N didn't say anything at that, then muttered something to the pokémon he had fed. His words were so quiet and quick that Vale didn't catch a word of what he had said. Then, with a few quick strides, he crossed the warehouse, right past her, and opened the warehouse door.

"N, you don't think we can still be friends, even if we have different opinions?" Vale asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"No." a pause. "Not unless you rid yourself of those thoughts and come back by my side."

"So it's only black and white. No gray area, N?"

"There is no such thing." N replied stiffly. "Humans and pokémon shouldn't be together. They are always going to be misunderstood, overpowered by humans and forced into slavery."

"So myself, as a person who feels pokémon and humans should be together, and you, a person who thinks they should be separated should have no contact at all."

"… Yes."

"So then," she turned around, only to be staring at his back. Trailing her gaze down, she saw a two pokéballs on his belt. One looked barely used, the other, worn and scratched from years of neglect "Where's Sammy, N?"

"He's safe. I have him." N answered immediately, gaze snapping over his shoulder as if she had shocked him. But Vale simply closed her eyes. N inhaled sharply, as if realizing the flaw in his logic. "That's different."

"Then perhaps I should release Audino now?"

"No!" N immediately protested. Vale opened her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because…" he shut his mouth tightly. Then, he rephrased his words with a scowl. "He's with me, and that's all that matters. I can provide best for him. And I will not have you using him as some half-hearted excuse to hunt me down."

And before Vale could refute that one, N darted out of the warehouse, slamming the door shut. As it was in the middle of sliding down, Vale stopped it and threw it open again.

But N and the quiet morning atmosphere was gone, replaced by the sounds of vendors shouting out items they're selling and artists filling the streets, ready to cover Nacrene in new shades of color and art.

o.0.o.0.o

"I think you have a seventh sense for finding places that purposefully doing things that annoy me." Hilda grumbled as they were sitting in a small cafe. Black was casually scratching the top of Mincinno's head.

Currently, they were sitting in a rather crowded cafe with people chattering incessantly around her. Normally, Hilda wouldn't approach such a… cliquey looking place. After all, her idea of "quality breakfast" was a cheap truckstop diner that may or may not have questionable patrons. Not some coffee-shop with crazy words for small, medium, and large.

Seriously, she asked for a medium coffee, black, and she got a weird look from the waitress.

"Seventh?" Black asked, folding his hands on the table with a quiet smile. "What could be the sixth?"

"The sixth is pissing me off." Hilda answered with a wry smirk.

"You wound me." Black placed an overdramatic hand over her heart. "Perhaps my eighth sense will be sensing ways to make you happy?"

"Oh, no. That one will be writing the monthly checks for that reward money."

"Checks?" Black asked, looking over his cup as he drank his whipped-creamy sweet thing that he called a drink.

"Yeah," Hilda crossed her arms smugly. "I know the government will slam me with higher taxes if I suddenly put a huge check in my account, you know? That's what's nice about being a trainer," Hilda chugged back some of her coffee. "We deal in cold hard cash. We may not make a lot at the time, but the government can't skim fifty bucks off a three-hundred dollar check if I'm being given straight cash."

"Sounds like you have a beef with taxes." Black chuckled.

"Well, doesn't everyone?" Hilda crossed her arms.

"Of course." Black responded simply. "Somehow, that isn't very surprising coming from you."

"What, did you expect some sort of mysterious anomaly when you started this stupid bet with me?"

"Anomaly is one of the words I'd use." he quipped back. "Mysterious? Not so much. You're to loud and blunt to be mysterious."

"And you're to much of an ass to be considered attractive." Hilda snapped back. Black smirked.

"The money on that bet says otherwise."

Hilda growled something under her breath as she looked away from him. Drumming her fingers against the table, she looked over the crowd of pedestrians that wandered through the streets.

This city was weird. She's seen at least seven people paint the side of warehouses with spraypaint, while other people were in the middle of the street working with chalk. Respectfully, people would maneuver around the art in progress. And she wasn't even ready to begin talking about how these people looked. To put it simply, the fact that she had normal colored hair was apparently weird here.

"So what do you plan on doing here, anyways?" Black asked after she didn't answer him for a while. Hilda brought her gaze up from a group of women dressed like literal fairies and looked back at him.

"I plan on beating the gym, plain and simple." Hilda shrugged. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Aw, you don't want to experience the culture of this city?"

"Not particularly." Hilda propped her chin on her hand as she spoke. "This place is weird. People are dressed in neons and like something out of a really badly designed cartoon."

"That's just pop culture." Black chuckled. "You don't think it would be fun to experience the city where trends start?"

"No." Hilda answered simply.

"Then you're going to challenge the gym." Black said simply. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"You don't want to do _anything_ else?"

"What else?" Hilda rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you know. Check out the art, go to the warehouse markets, stuff like that."

Hilda quirked an eyebrow.

"That sounds like it'll cost money."

"Maybe. But who says it's _your_ money it's going to cost?"

Hilda snorted, averting her gaze as she mulled over his words. She wasn't about to become putty in his stupid hands, not yet.

Suddenly, she spotted something that made her afternoon go from moderately okay to rage-inducing.

Glancing over the sea of color and people, she saw a single, crazily tall teenager with long green hair in a ponytail. Unlike most of the people in this crowd, he stood out due to his height, and he looked slightly uncomfortable.

Recalling how N said he was also able to understand pokémon's "voices", Hilda stood abruptly.

"Hilda?" Black asked as she bolted past him, vaulting herself over the porch fence of the café.

"N!" she shouted, skidding to a stop just in front of him. He startled back, staring at her wide-eyed. Scowling, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him down so that they were eye to eye. "How the hell are you able to talk to pokémon? What did you do to _me_ to make me understand them?"

"You…" he asked softly, with wide eyes like that of a childs. "You can hear them too?"

"Yes, I can." Hilda hissed, shoving him back slightly as she released his shirt. "So what sort of freaky experiment were you and I in that somehow made us able to understand them?"

"Freaky?" his shoulders deflated slightly upon echoing the word. Looking semi-dejected, he brought his gaze to hers. "I don't know what you're talking about. How long have you been able to hear them?"

"For as long as I can remember." Hilda found herself answering. "At first, I thought it was just my imagination. But sooner or later, people have to stop pretending their pokémon can talk, grow up, and start going to school to make a steady income."

"So you ignored their voices." N summed up, sounding especially disappointed.

"Essentially." Hilda said simply, looking over him with a judgemental eye. Then it hit her like a hydro pump. "Holy hell… You don't think there's anything nuts about being able to hear pokémon. Right?"

"… I'm not sure." N answered quietly, shutting his eyes. His face looked strained, like he was trying to comprehend what she was talking about. "Don't humans normally ignore pokémon because they see them as tools?"

Hilda widened her eyes at that. Firstly because he said humans like he wasn't one himself. Like he was completely different, totally separate from the rest of his species. Secondly because he sounded genuinely curious, like that ideology was implanted in his brain and he never saw the light of day.

"You're insane." she said bluntly. "You are positively _nuts."_

"… Hilda, I want to see things no one else can see. The truths of pokémon inside pokéballs. The ideals of how trainers should be. And a world where pokémon have become perfect… A world where they have re-entered their natural state. I don't think that's considered 'nuts'." opening his eyes, he looked her in the eye and spoke. "As someone who can hear them… Can understand their hurt and their happiness… Don't you feel the same?"

"No." Hilda answered simply. "The world has changed. We live in a time where humans and pokémon work one in one. The truth behind pokémon in pokéballs lies in the bond that they share with their trainer. The ideal of a trainer lies with their goals and again, on the bond with their pokémon. So in order to see your so called 'truth' and 'ideal', trainers need pokémon and vice versa. Neither of them can ever 're-enter their natural state'."

"Huh." was all N had to say. Pursing his lips, he looked skywards. "How unfortunate. I expected you to understand. So then, are you saying the bond you hold with your pokémon is strong enough to back up such words?"

Hilda found herself grinding her teeth together.

"I cannot see the future yet… The world is still to be determined. As of yet, neither myself nor my friends are strong enough to save all the pokémon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So, I need power... Power enough to make anyone agree with me."

"That's nice," Hilda snapped sarcastically. "People don't agree with my effed up ideals, so I'm just going to obtain power and make them agree with me."

"Tell me, Hilda, are you aware of the legendary pokémon of this region?"

Hilda quirked an eyebrow. Of course she was aware of this regions legendary pokémon. While Unova followed no real religion, the legend of Zekrom and Reshiram was sacred. The ultimate story of learning from history's mistakes.

There was the older brother who wanted to lead the land by truth, while the younger brother wanted to lead by ideals. Their 'god', simply known as "the dragon pokémon", soon split down the middle, creating the Tao Trio; Reshriram, the dragon of truth and fire, Zekrom, the dragon of ideals and ice, and finally, the leftover husk that, Kyurem, who represented the boundary between the two.

The two brothers warred for decades before they finally decided that neither was the right answer. Reshiram sided with the elder brother while Zekrom sided with the younger. Kyurem, agonizing over it's broken and mangled body, hid itself away from the world.

Eventually, the brothers decided to set aside their differences, as neither dragon could conquer the other. Both truth and ideals were needed in order to properly rule a country. But soon, their sons resumed the war and chaos began again.

Eventually, after the ninth descendants of the original kings began warring, Kyurem returned and seemingly overpowered the two dragons. All three subsequently disappeared soon after.

"It is rumored," N said, bowing his head and shading his eyes with his hat. "That the descendants of the original kings will again resume the battle."

"So what are you thinking?" Hilda couldn't help but laugh. "You're going to become the next hero?"

"Perhaps I will. I will befriend one of them, and just as the original king did, I will recreate Unova to what I believe it should be!" turning away, he continued to talk, as if Hilda were no longer there. "Yes… It is my turn to become the hero… And I shall use this gift bestowed upon me to become their friend!"

He paused, then glanced over his shoulder at her.

"But what of you? You can understand them also, correct?"

Hilda, unsettled by his sudden change in speech and the odd glint in his eyes, felt her entire spine tense. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke.

"I don't want to understand them."

"… So you choose to not understand?" N murmured, suddenly whipping around and coming in close, way to close. "Perhaps you are-"

One inch to close, Hilda reared back. Within seconds, gasps came from the surrounding crowd as pain reverberated from her knuckles. Hissing, Hilda held her fist in her other hand, massaging her fingers as best she could. Staring down at N, who was staring at her in shock, she spoke.

"I couldn't give two flying fucks," she said slowly and sternly, choosing to hide her underlying discomfort with rage. "About some stupid legend. All I wanted was answers, and I'm not going to get them from you, apparently."

"You want answers for understanding them…?" N trailed off, quickly standing as he rubbed at where she had hit her. "You can't get answers for something you were born with!"

Hilda ignored him and turned on her heel, walking towards the building they were in front of. At the top step, however, she shot a look over her shoulder, and saw N, staring at her. Then, as if fully coming to his senses, he looked around. Nervously rubbing his arm, as if incredibly uncomfortable with all the people around him, he turned, and completely ran away.

Hilda quirked an eyebrow.

 _… Almost like a startled pokémon…_

o.0.o.0.o

Current Teams

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f), Blitzle(f)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m), Litwik(f), Pansage(m), Munna(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m), Panpour(f)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Pansear(f), Siesmitoad(m)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m)

o.0.o.0.o

 **Even though I absolutely hate spiders, and therefor, spider pokémon, I can't help but love Vale and her little Joltik. I guess it was an effort to make something as terrifying as a spider adorable?**

 **On another note, I oftentimes wonder how presumptuous it is of me to consider Vale a main character. I know OCs are often considered a stigma in stories, even if Vale has gotten some decent feedback and no outright hatred. But up until this point, Vale has only been a side character. For this part, I do consider her a main character alongside Hilda, Black, and N. And while a part of me is excited to fully explore her relationship with N, another part of me wants to tip-toe around this as I feel it is… almost looked down upon to pair canon characters with OCs. Like if I push it to far, I'm overstepping some sort of unsaid boundary.**

 **Finally, I just watched the newly released trailer for Ultra Sun and Moon. Can I say how awesome the new MC's art is? I love how full of life they seem! Depending on how this "alternate storyline" works out, I plan on making these two-who I'm codenaming U!Moon and U!Sun- will be complete opposites personality wise of Selene and Elio, their Sun and Moon counterparts. And with Selene and Elio's planned personalities… Theirs will be a breath of fresh air.**

 **Finally, there is something very significant mentioned in this chapter. Something that is connected to a song that is, as of now, my absolute FAVORITE song as of now. It's a bit off the beaten path if you're not in the fandom, but I'll give you a couple of hints:**

 **1\. How many dexholders are there currently? By the end of this segment and following my semi-noticeable pattern, how many will there be then?**

 **2\. What does Ài mean?**

 **3\. The fandom is Vocaloid.**

 **Happy guessing!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	12. Basically, the Basic Badge

**I've been having the worst time trying to write lately. Plus with this being a gym battle, which I genuinely don't prefer writing, I just couldn't bring myself to actually write.**

 **I've been having a really hard time, you know? But I also thank you for your patience.**

 **Hopefully this gets out before the release of Ultra Sun and Moon! Even though we don't have much information yet, I'm already thinking up ideas for what I should write. My only major problem, at the moment, is how this is technically an AU to the actual Sun and Moon.**

 **That being said, I've already thought of several ideas based off the trailers and such. I want this story to be connected to the saga, possibly as a sequel to Sun and Moon. So I think at the end of my authors notes, I'm gonna leave some up in the air questions about the game story, and how it should be connected to the saga and all that. More info on that at the bottom.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara, and the Bennets.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

"Hilda!"

Hilda tore her gaze away from the sea of colorful hair, trying to spot the one green one, and found herself focusing on a blue jacket. She let out a sigh as Black came to a stop. He wasn't even out of breath from his impromptu sprint, the prick…

"What do you want?" she crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Oh you know," Black shrugged. "Wondering why you decided to vault yourself over the railing and leaving me with the bill."

"Oh, I don't know," she responded in the same sing-songy voice. As soon as it came out of her mouth, Hilda cringed. Okay, she decided, enough of that shit. "Seriously, you knew you were going to pay in full for that, Mr. I'm-So-Sure-I-Can-Win-Your-Heart."

"Ooooh!" Black grinned. "I got some brownie points with you?"

"I was being sarcastic." she snapped at him. "You'll never get brownie points with me."

"Yes, but I've had a lot of people tell me I could 'never' do something." Black smiled that unsettling smile of his, the one that made Hilda's sirens go off like someone trying to rob a bank. "And there's only one never that I've truly never been able to accomplish."

"Yeah, and it's called winning me over." Hilda shot back.

Black simply smiled in response, and she crossed her arms. She was sick of him and she was sick of this place… But at this point, she just wanted to beat the gym and move on.

"Considering the last gym was a restaurant," she glanced at Black out of the corner of her eye. "Where the hell is this gym?"

"You're standing right in front of it." Black pointed behind her, and she turned, looking at the huge museum behind her. With the huge pillars and marble steps, pure of any of the wacky art that surrounded them… She found it surprising. "Gyms are considered monuments, so doing art on it would be an act of vandalism that is punishable by the supreme court… No matter how lax the laws in terms of public art are here."

"So… this museum is a gym." Hilda said, feeling doubtful.

"Yep." Black nodded. "A gym, through and through."

Hilda shook her head with a sigh, then started forward to go into the gym.

"You're going to challenge it?" Black asked at the base of the steps. Hilda glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Like I said, I just want to get this over with so I can move on." Hilda crossed her arms, thinking back to N and his nonsensical preachings. "This place is crazy and I'm already sick of it."

"Not to into the up and coming hipsters, eh?" Black asked, skipping the steps two at a time to catch up to her.

"Something like that…" Hilda muttered under her breath, hoping he wouldn't hear this one moment of weakness.

Not waiting for his response, she marched forward and she threw open the museum doors with a bang. For a moment, everyone turned their gaze to her, then returned to their daily workings. Slowly, she walked inside, surprised by the faint sound of what she could only describe as elevator music. The wall were a normal, off-white color, and the tiled floors were alternating between light and dark blue. As she squinted, looking past the reception desk, she saw what looked like a huge skeleton.

"I'm going to be honest," she said bluntly. "I was expecting a modern art museum."

"Nacrene City Museum is a natural history museum." Black said, scrolling through something on his cross-transceiver. "Free of charge entry to traveling trainers with training licenses."

"Good," Hilda marched up to the receptionist and flashed her ID, then continued on with Black trailing behind her, also flashing his ID.

Hilda silently folded that piece of information in the back of her mind. If he got in for free, it mean he had a trainer's license. As in, train to battle. She knew there was a plethora of licenses that would allow people to own and battle pokémon as partners. Breeding licenses, nursing licenses…

As Black began to speak about something or another pertaining to the museum. Hilda backed up towards the receptionist, keeping her eyes on him. If she was going to figure out what his behind that lying smile, she was gonna have to work in secret.

"Hey," she gestured for the receptionist to come closer, and she did. "Do you accept duel licenses here?"

"Do you mean for the free of charge entrance?" the receptionist asked. "Well, it all depends on the license. So long as it involves the training of pokémon for pokémon battle, it passes."

"Okay," Hilda nodded to Black. It was odd that he hadn't come over here to pester her yet… "So what about him? What was his license for?"

"I'm sorry, that's confidential." the receptionist said. "I can't release information on another trainer like that."

"Tch…" Hilda ground her teeth together in frustration, turning on her heel and walking away. That cleared up absolutely nothing. When they said one step forward, two steps back, they weren't kidding. So what had she found out? Black is licensed to train and battle pokémon, which she pretty much figured out on her own.

Glancing around the museum, she let out a huff of relief. Seems that Black got distracted by something for another, and she lost him. But even still, she was half-using him as an information mine to survive in this backwards city, so she had no clue where the hell the gym was in this place.

Sighing in irritation, she looked around for some sort of direction. Like a sign with flashing lights that said _YOUR ONLY FRIGGING REASON FOR EVEN WANTING TO BE HERE_ with a huge arrow pointing to the door.

But of course, she could find no such thing.

Nope, all she saw was some crusty fossils, a huge skeleton in the center of the museum, and stuff like that. The only thing that really drew her eye was this odd looking white rock… But when she read the description of it being "Simply, a White Stone", she lost interest and began to look elsewhere.

Maybe she'd find a tour guide around here or something…

o.0.o.0.o

"It's just so strange…" Sara could only stare at the spectacle before her, Looker seeming equally baffled.

They were in Nimbasa City, just a hop, skip, and a jump over from Undella. Since it was summer and the resort was packed, they spent a long time trying to pick up information on Team Plasma. But with it filled to the brim with mostly out of town tourists, the only Unovian natives they could find would brush their questions off, saying that they shouldn't worry about a pokémon activist group while they were on vacation. At this point in time, their captain refused to allow them to reveal that they were police agents, so Looker had suggested they go to a bigger city where they might be able to get a better lead.

So over the hustle and bustle of the screaming children from the amusement park and people rushing to get to and from various attractions, stood a group of people dressed as knights, all but two kneeling on one knee like their were bowing, completely blocking the entrance to the Pokémon Musical. The two standing were holding banners with the Team Plasma logo on it.

"They're just… kneeling there." Sara couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice.

She wasn't going to lie, deep, deep within her was a burning rage. And when she wasn't sinking deeper into her grief and depression due to the ultimate failure that was the loss of Vale, she was… sickly humoring herself with how she would enact her revenge. Sara's been angry at people before, angry enough to want to hurt them. But she's never been so mad that it became an obsessive _need_ to make someone pay. She wanted to rip off the mask that hid that man's face…

And then promptly blow his head to smithereens with the government-issued gun, police brutality punishments be damned.

But then again, she was still an agent in training. Anything brash she did would reflect badly on Looker, and due to her status, he would have to be prosecuted as well. On top of that, she knew Looker was catching on. They've been partnered for far to long, he knew that something was up. But what he didn't know was that she was calculating and planning.

Because it wasn't murder if it was in self-defense, whether it be in hers or someone else's.

So her disappointment was rather profound when Team Plasma, their greatest lead and the only so-called 'villainous team' that they had come across, was nothing more than a bunch of renaissance fair re-enactors, kneeling in protest of pokémon abuse.

"… I know our placed agent told us to not expect anything as blatant as Team Rocket, but this is absolutely ridiculous!" Sara snapped at Looker, as if this were his fault. She looked back at them, still kneeling. "Maybe if I antagonize them or get their attention…?"

Looker let out a sigh.

"We mustn't engage the target yet, Blitz." Looker said simply, calling her by her codename. "We're simply here to observe and act should anything suspicious be going on."

"But he was so sure that they're hiding something!"

"Yes, but Pitch also said he wasn't sure." Looker said sharply. "It will only look bad on us if we attack a group of peaceful protesters. There's enough problems in this world already with police brutality… Considering we're international agents, if we cross that line, both of our careers would be in jeopardy along with our base department."

"So I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for them to kill another missing kid." Sara averted her gaze bitterly. Looker pursed his lips, choosing his words carefully.

"Agent Pitch is doing his best do make connections. He's investigating an explosion that happened at the Pokémon Daycare Center… If we can make concrete ties there, then we should have free reign over getting warrants to search for more extensive evidence."

"Don't think that's going to pacify me." Sara muttered. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "You know that it's not going to end until that man can't see the light of day ever again."

Looker gave her a blatantly pitiful look.

"Being a police officer is about enacting justice." Looker finally said.

"Yes. With permission." Sara glanced up, seeing that Risu was floating back down.

Above them, on a street-light, was a small security camera. It was placed there when they asked for advice from Pitch. Under his seemingly experienced instruction, he wanted them to start planting bugs about in Nimbasa so he could monitor Team Plasma's activity, if they were active there. He sent them a package chock full of the little devices, and told them that the pokémon he sent should know what to do.

So far, they could only plant recorders and cameras strategically on light posts. They were still waiting for what to do about the interior of buildings...

"No human can singly wield the responsibility of justice." Looker said simply, closing his eyes. "Because they would become overwhelmed with it. Then that overwhelming sensation is replaced with a warped sense of power, and ultimately, insanity. You can't expect to enact your justice without facing consequences, whether it be from our higher ups, or from your own mind… Sara."

Sara averted her gaze, refusing to look at him when he used her true name. Typically, Looker was big on the codenames, almost always calling her Blitz outside of the ensured privacy that they had, and even then… Well, the man was quite the conspiracy nut, a thousand percent sure that there were camera's and bugs everywhere. So him using her name meant he was truly trying to get his concerns through her head. Probably because he was worried.

And she knew what Looker was trying to do. He was probably worried. And he was probably scared she was going to do something brash with what little power she had as an agent in training.

She knew that when she signed up for this job. And perhaps it was her immaturity in the field, or her own bitterness towards Mask…

But she wanted so badly for someone to become a target of this rage. But not at the risk of everything Looker's worked for in life. Not when he pulled so many strings to get her into the academy when she was still a girl… Not when he continued to train her even after their supervisors warned their father-daughter relationship was going to interfere on the field.

 _I know this, but still…_

"Blitz, let's go." Looker glanced back at her as he walked past.

Clenching her fists, she cast one more seething glare at her only suspects, then followed after Looker.

 _I'll figure out a way to avenge you, Cici. But you're going to have to wait until I figure out how to do that… Without putting Looker on the line._

o.0.o.0.o

"FINALLY!"

Hilda reached out and snatched Vale's arm, causing the taller girl to jump. Snapping her gaze away from the exhibit she was staring at. Hilda cast a glance at it, and saw it was the shell of a… Sandshrew. The description gave her a brief telling of how it was found in the Desert Resort during some construction, proving that non-Unova-native pokémon may have lived here some time in the past before migrating to other countries. Or, this one could have migrated here with some others by mistake.

Hilda honestly didn't care. She was just semi-glad that she found a familiar face.

"Hilda," Vale glanced at her arm, still trapped in Hilda's iron grip. Hilda released her arm, now having finally caught her attention. "Are you here to challenge the gym?"

"Yeah, but I can't fricking find it." Hilda huffed. "The only plus behind all of this is that I lost Bla-"

She trailed off, the a in his name still coming out in an elongated sound as Vale shifted to the right. Behind the taller girl was the familiar outline of Black with his hands in his pockets. Typically, Hilda wouldn't be so immediately, but Bianca was standing right next to him… giggling.

"Oh, hell to the Arceus-damned _no!"_ she growled out, stomping past Vale and jutting herself between Bianca and Black.

"Hilda!" she glanced over her shoulder at Bianca, who sounded genuinely happy to see her. "You're here to challenge the gym too?"

"Of course I am!" Hilda placed her hands on her hips, turning around with a confident grin. She registered the last word of her sentence, then cocked her head. "… Too? Who else is challenging the gym?"

"Cheren, of course!" Bianca smiled. "We came here together!"

"Oh, really." Hilda grinned, knowing full well she could use this to get Black away from Bianca. After all, he didn't pursue a 'taken' woman. "So Black here interrupted your date, eh?"

"What?!" Bianca abruptly shook her head, obviously trying to get a glance at Black. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! He's just a friend! My childhood friend!"

 _F*CK._

Not even bothering to hide her irritation, she slowly glanced at Black. He was smiling with a satisfied look in his eyes. As Bianca desperately tried to explain her relationship with Cheren to Black, he stared at Hilda like he had trumped her somehow. She shot him the most venomous glare, but he simply smiled.

Slowly, his gaze trailed up, past her, staring at Vale. Vale, who stood at a rather odd distance, crossed her arms and kept her eyes locked on Black. Her gaze was cold as ice, but Black's was even harder to pin-point. Whatever was going on between them, Hilda had a feeling that these two did not particularly enjoy each other… Which was odd.

As far as she knew, Black never made a pass at Vale, and Black didn't strike her as a the type to be pettily offended should he be rejected by a girl. This was pretty much proven every day she spent with him, as he just pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed. On the flipside, Vale certainly didn't strike her as the type to be pettily jealous of lack of attention from a boy.

The air about them was… suspicious. Both seemed almost suspicious of each other, which again, Hilda could understand. Vale was an odd woman. She came here out of no where with Bianca, arrived with a fresh new Johtonese trainers license but a Unovan pokémon, seemed hesitant to interact with other people, was jumpy, and pretty much tried to distance herself. The only reason Vale was probably even hanging around them was because either herself or Bianca-mostly Bianca- kept reeling her back in.

Black, however, was still just a total mystery to her. He knew put on a nice act and he liked flirting with girls… But he also was hiding something behind that smile. She just couldn't place what.

It honestly made her wonder if both of them found something out about the other, and that was why there was such a cold tension in the air…

"So yeah!" Bianca's frantic, high pitched voice cut her thoughts off. "We're just friends! Only friends!"

"Bianca."

 _Double f*ck._

Hilda glanced over at Cheren, who was standing still with his thumbs in his pockets. He seemed calm and composed as ever, but behind the lens of his glasses, Hilda could see the hurt that he felt from Bianca trying to explain that he was only a friend. The damn boy _was_ still crushing on her, _hard._ How much had he heard? Judging by the hurt in his eyes, it was fairly obvious that he's aware that he's been friendzoned. Maybe he was already aware, but not it was just confirmed?

… Damn… She felt… really bad for Cheren.

"… So, did you win the gym battle?" she asked. Glancing back and forth between Bianca, Black, and Vale, it was obvious none of them really picked up on Cheren's dissatisfaction. After all, Cheren was always a rather straight-faced, so it was hard to pick up on what he was feeling…

But unlike Black, who was hard to read, even through his eyes, Cheren would allow flickers of emotions to pass through his straight-faced default.

"I did win." Cheren nodded briefly.

"That's so great!" Bianca beamed at him, clearly happy for him. Cheren quickly averted his gaze for a moment, unintentionally making eye contact with Black.

"Black." he nodded curtly.

"Congratulations, Cheren." Black complimented. He playfully elbowed Hilda's arm. "Looks like you've got some catching up to do, Hilda."

"Shut your mouth!" she snapped at him. "Cheren, which way do I go for the gym?"

"Just up those sets of stairs there." Cheren pointed over his shoulder. "Beyond there is a gym puzzle involving books. It was rather easy for me, but then again, I'm always reading, so…"

"Great!" Hilda nodded with a smirk, then roughly grabbed Black by the elbow. "You, come with me! Vale, look out for those too and we'll meet up to travel to Castelia!"

She dragged Black along by the arm, practically wrenching him up the stairs. The more she dragged him, the angrier she became, and the more she wanted to hurt him. Cheren was crushing on Bianca since they were little kids! Hilda may have come in a little late due to the divorce of her parents, but she's known them since they were all four years old! She watched them grow up, and she could have seen those two actually hitting it off.

But then Black showed up, flashed that stupid smile towards Bianca and said some nice words… And now she was putty in his grubby man hands! So not only was he completely manipulating Bianca, but that manipulation had hurt Cheren too!

Shoving open what she assumed was the door to the puzzle part of the gym, she slammed the door behind him and grabbed the front of Black's sweatshirt, shoving him against the wall. Black let out a chuckle, staring down at her.

"Feeling a little forward?"

"Like hell!" Hilda growled at him, clenching his sweatshirt in both fists. "You're standing here, playing these ridiculous games with me, and I'll take it. I know what I'm getting into with this stupid bet! But you're not going to drag Bianca and Cheren into this! You leave them out of this, do you hear me?!"

"Oh, I see now." Black clicked his tongue with a sly chuckle. "You're not feeling forward. You're _jealous."_

"You wish!" Hilda yanked him forward then shoved him back, releasing him in the process. "Bianca doesn't need someone like you messing with her feelings! She's to sensitive! She needs someone who won't manipulate her, won't look down on her, wont; use her, won't trample her emotions…"

"You mean like Cheren?" Black asked. Hilda felt her nostrils flare as she glared at him. Black shook his head with a chuckle. "What can I say? If he's interested, he should've just made a move. As long as Bianca's available, I can do whatever I please."

"Not with me around, you won't!" Hilda snapped. "So long as you're in this bet with me, you aren't gonna say a word to Bianca!"

"And what, you'll back out?" Black thought for a moment. "If you back out, you loose. That's three hundred days you'll have to spend with me, traveling wherever I please."

"That was never a part of the original bet!" she hissed at him.

"I just forgot to tell you." Black shrugged, though it was obvious he didn't care either way.

"Or you just thought of it now." she accused.

"If you want to see it that way, okay." Black shrugged. "Whatever you say. Just know there's repercussions for backing out. As in, backing out means you're admitting defeat. Which means you loose."

"I'm never going to loose to you." Hilda hissed, clenching her fists. "But I _will_ make you regret it if you hurt Bianca."

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat behind them, and Hilda whipped around. There, she saw a thin, willowy looking man with glasses. He seemed bashful in stance, with drooping soldiers and a slightly hunched stature… Though he was dressed well, wearing a nice suit with neatly combed hair.

"Um, are you here to challenge the gym, or…?"

"I'm here to challenge it, yeah." Hilda stepped forward. "Ignore that as behind me."

"A-Alright." he murmured. "Um, my name is Hawes, and I'm the museums assistant director. My wife, Lenora, is the gym leader and lead director. She specializes in normal-type pokémon."

"Okay." she nodded her head once. Looking over his shoulder, she saw rows upon rows of books. "So what do I have to do to find the gym?"

"Well, simply put, there are six riddles written throughout several books here. Each book will lead you to a clue to the next one, as well as unlocking one of the locks in order to get downstairs, where my wife is waiting. If you get one in the wrong order, however, the locks reset and you have to start from the beginning."

"Sounds overly complicated." Hilda couldn't help but groan, but nonetheless, she nodded once. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I will provide you with the first clue. The first book is called 'Hello, My Pokémon', it should be on the shelf with children's books."

o.0.o.0.o

Bianca sat on the steps to the gym with Vale, sighing heavily as she glanced around at the museum. Cheren had abruptly left after Hilda dragged Black away, leaving her alone with Vale. Vale was entertaining herself by playfully tickling her Joltik, and for a moment, the chortles from the little pokémon had entertained Bianca too.

But then she remembered it was a creepy-crawly bug and she found herself uncomfortably scooting away.

"I'm going to be honest," Vale suddenly announced, glancing at Bianca's head. "How are you so scared of this little guy, when Munna is…?"

She trailed off, and Bianca turned her gaze upwards, barely catching a glimpse of Munna's pink form. Again, Munna had attached itself to her head, happily eating her dreams. Bianca had accepted this as the norm for her and Munna. Ever since she had caught the pokémon, Munna had made it a routine to eat her dreams. Ever since she was a child, Bianca had a million ideas on what to do with her life… So Munna was probably feeding off them.

In her eyes, it was a win-win. She never forgot her dreams, Munna happily got a satisfying snack, and they were happily coexisting together.

"Vale," she sang out, diverting the older girls attention from Munna's feeding. Vale glanced at her, allowing Joltik to crawl up her arm and cuddle against her neck. The very sight made Bianca's skin crawl… "Um, so are you earning your gym badges too, Vale?"

"… I am." she answered quietly. "Though I typically do the battles late at night or early in the morning. And I don't want my name on any of the plaques."

"Why do all that work though if you don't want recognition?" Bianca cocked her head in confusion, furrowing her brow.

"… I don't want to draw attention to myself, honestly." Vale explained slowly, quietly. "So I don't really plan on becoming champion of this region. But a part of me wants to have something physical to look at and know I've accomplished something on my own. So thats why I'm collecting the badges."

"… I've never thought of it like that." Bianca said. Twiddling her thumbs, she imagined showing her father eight glimmering badges that she's earned through her own strength… But was that what she wanted to do? She had no idea.

"What about you?" Vale asked.

"What about me?"

"Well, you know I'm looking for my friend. What are you on this journey for?"

"I'm not really sure." Bianca admitted with a bashful smile. "I mean, Cheren and Hilda both have such clear-cut goals. Hilda's gonna become the champion and make a lot of money. Cheren is on this journey in order to become stronger and gain more knowledge… then pass that knowledge along. And then… there's just me. I don't know what I want to do with my life… Not yet, at least. So I kind of hoped I would figure it out on this journey."

"… So we're in the same boat." Vale smiled a small smile as her fingers gently stroked Joltik's head. Bianca couldn't help but openly gape at that.

"You're not sure what you want to do with your life either?"

That honestly surprised Bianca. Sure, she didn't know much about Vale's past, or even much about Vale in general. But Vale just seemed very… How should Bianca put it? Serious? But then again, Vale was generally a distant person, so she couldn't place why it came as such a surprise that she had no clue what she was doing with her life either.

Maybe it was the age difference. After all, she was two years older than the rest of them… She figured that by the time people reached the age of eighteen, they had a one hundred percent, concrete plan for their life, with a backup plan, if neccessary.

"Bianca, I don't even know what I'm doing day to day, let alone what I'm going to do with my future." she sounded one hundred percent serious as she said this. "So you shouldn't worry to much about it. I'm sure you'll find a place for yourself someway, somehow."

"Maybe." Bianca whispered softly. "But where do you imagine yourself, Vale?"

"… I have no clue." was all Vale answered.

"I think I'm going to try challenging the gyms too." Bianca decided. "And see how far I can get."

"Good luck." Vale wished out sincerely.

"… Are you going to travel with us, Vale?"

Vale didn't say anything for a long time, making Bianca worry. Hesitantly, she glanced at Vale, and saw her resting her chin on her hands, her elbows subsequently resting on her knees. Bianca nervously chewed on her lip, seeing the troubled expression that Vale wore. Slowly, she exhaled, then spoke.

"I'm… going to try and let you down gently." Vale finally said, not turning to look at her or anything. "Bianca, you've been very good to me. And you will always be… a friend. But as of now," Vale paused, closing her eyes and mulling over her words. "… There's just some things that I need to work out on my own. Some things that you can't get involved in, okay?"

"Vale, are you okay?" Bianca asked in a tearful whisper. "What's so bad that you can't travel with us?"

"I didn't mean to offend you." Vale answered, though her voice sounded very distant. "You and your friends are wonderful. But I just…"

She trailed off, closing her eyes. An awkward silence ensued when Vale pursed her lips uncomfortably. Bianca brought her gaze forward. Finally, Vale spoke.

"… I've said to much." she muttered, slowly standing. Bianca's gaze trailed up her form, and Vale gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about me, Bianca. If you're taking the gym challenge and I'm taking the gym challenge, we're sure to run into each other. So until then… farewell."

And with that, Vale left. Bianca nervously watched her leave, disappearing around the corner, obviously heading towards the exit.

Something about that smile, to Bianca at least, seemed really, really… sad.

o.0.o.0.o

Vale had lied to Bianca, blatantly in fact. She had no intention of trying to really keeping any connections with her, which is why she refused to get a cross transceiver or any form of communication devices.

Well, that, and because she knew it would be easy for Ghetsis to get his hands on the signal of such a device, and she may as well have a tracking device on her wrist.

No one here really seemed to know or care about how dangerous Team Plasma was… and truthfully, Vale had to admit, Ghetsis was playing it smart. This was going to get out of hand quickly is people continued to ignore Team Plasma...

As she exited the museum, she saw something odd out of the corner of her vision. For a brief moment, she wanted to go in the opposite direction…

Clenching her fists, she grabbed Joltik's pokéball and returned him.

"I don't know what's going to happen, so I think you'll be safer here." she whispered softly, returning him. With a sigh, she switched his out for Audino's and made her way forward, going down the steps and squeezing around the fence that blocked pedestrians from going into the nearby diner.

There, in a small space between the museum and the neighboring business, stood three forms that she remembered from when she was a child.

She hadn't even spoken a word before one of them made eye contact. Immediately, she tensed, and the other two lifted their heads.

There was only silence as they stared at each other, the tension rising with each passing second. Until, finally, one of them threw out a pokéball. Quickly, a Swanna appeared, and in a few murmured words, gusts of wind completely surrounded her, whipping her hair off her face.

Before she could cover the scars, however, there was a click and a flash.

o.0.o.0.o

"You know," Black called out next to Hawes as Hilda sprinted by them again. "Don't you think it might do you a favor to actually read through the book?"

"Nope! I don't have time for that!" Hilda grinned as she picked out the next book, and flicked the switch. The ding that resounded indicated that she was right.

Hilda stubbornly decided that she wasn't going to listen to the clues or even read the books providing the clues. Instead, the minute she realized the mobile stairs for climbing to higher shelves were locked in place, it meant that they were there so people couldn't mess with the challenge. Therefor, she concluded, if she did a trial and error starting with the first clue Hawes gave her and moved around to each shelf, she'd eventually get it right through trial and error.

She had just undone the fifth lock, and began to move her way to the final bookshelf. Climbing up to the top, she casually removed one book, pushed the others to the side, and found the last switch.

"Gotcha." she grinned, flicking the switch. A resounding ding echoed throughout the gym, and then silence.

Out of patience, Hilda climbed down the steps, shooting a scathing glare at Hawes.

"So?" she demanded. "I got it right, didn't I?"

"Y-You did." Hawes nodded once. With that statement, there suddenly a rumbling sound. Glancing over her shoulder at the shelf, she saw that it had moved, sending a few of the books tumbling to the ground, there, she saw a set of stairs.

Grinning as if she had already won, Hilda confidently strode down the steps, entering a room that was obviously a battlefield, though behind it was a desk cluttered with papers and a few rather important-looking relics hidden in glass cases.

"Nineteen minutes and thirty-eight seconds."

Looking down, Hilda saw a dark-skinned woman with an explosion of hair on her head stand from her desk, crossing her arms as she shot Hilda a smirk.

"I was expecting a child, to be honest, but you're a full-grown teenager."

"Hey!" Hilda shouted to the woman, insulted. "I beat your stupid challenge without reading those dumb books! I don't have time for it."

"And did that save you any time?" Lenora asked. Hilda's nostrils flared.

"Are you the gym leader?" she asked, intelligently deciding to change the subject.

"I am," the dark skinned woman grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Welcome! I am the director of the Nacrene Museum and the Nacrene City gym's leader. My name is Lenora!"

She bellowed out her words with utmost confidence.

"My name is Hilda!" Hilda answered back. "And I'm not here for small talk, I'm here for victory! So enough small talk,"

She tossed a pokéball in the air, letting out her Oshawott.

"And let's fight!"

"Well then, challenger," Lenora descended the stairs leading to her desk, standing on the side opposing and tossing her own pokéball in the air. Out of it popped a Herdier, barking and wagging her tail happily. "Aren't you full of spunk. This will be a two on two battle. The first side to loose both pokémon wins."

"Got it! Oshawott!" Hilda grinned, throwing out her arm. "Let's show them how tough we've become!"

Lenora chuckled openly.

"My, my, my. Spunky indeed. I'm going to research how this affects you in battle with the Pokémon you've so lovingly raised!" pointing at Oshawott with a triumphant grin, she ordered her first move. "Roar!"

Immediately, an ear-piercing howl echoed throughout the gym. Hilda immediately cringed, covering her ears as she stared at the pokémon. Oshawott looked like he was bracing himself against something, but then his form glowed red. Hilda widened her eyes as his form suddenly decompressed into an aura, much like when she returned him to his pokéball, then it shot to her belt.

Something else on her belt popped, materializing on the battlefield. There, Hilda saw Blitzle.

Grinding her teeth, she felt as if she were taken advantage of. Now, she was going to be forced to use Oshawott and Blitzle, considering the two only rule… On top of that, while Oshawott was one of her strongest pokémon in the moment, she feared that Lenora would just have Herdier use Roar again, and then she would drag out Blitzle again.

Plus on top of that, the bond between her and Blitzle was non-existent. She had tried to use Blitzle in some random, wild pokémon battles to trainer her up for the upcoming fights, but she refused to listen to orders. She just charged forward and did as she pleased, which honestly, really tested Hilda's patience.

But nonetheless…

"Alright, we can make this work!" Hilda clenched her fists. "Blitzle, use-!"

She cut herself off with a yell as a spark of electricity went through her body. Though it was nothing lethal enough to kill her, it certainly left her body tingling, like she dragged all of her skin across a carpet. She gripped her ponytail, and felt nothing but frizz.

"Blitzle!" she snapped at her. "Come on! We're in the middle of a battle!"

Blitzle simply tossed her head forward, glaring at Herdier, who was still, happily wagging her tail. Lenora looked slightly amused.

Then, Blitzle charged forward with her body enshrouded in flames. She rammed into Herdier, but was quickly whipping her head around when the opposing pokémon latched onto her head with her teeth. With a grunt of rage, Blitzle used discharge, shocking Herdier and sending her flying off.

Under Lenora's orders, Herdier charged forward, ramming Blitzle in the side with Take Down.

"Come on, Blitzle!" Hilda clenched her fists, struggling to regain control. "Use Thuder Wave!"

Blitzle snorted in her direction, instead running forward in a flash and countering the Take Down with a Quick Attack.

"Okay the, Quick Attack works too." she muttered.

"I'm guessing your plan failed?"

Hilda brought her gaze up, seeing Lenora smiling a smug smile, though it surprisingly didn't annoy Hilda. It was a look that her own mother gave her when she got to cocky for her own good… A look filled with humor, but also with warning. A look saying had to watch herself…

Hilda felt nostalgic.

"Statistically, I've found that trainers usually keep their weakest or most recently caught pokémon on the last slot on their belt. Roar is a move that drags out the pokémon in the last slot on a trainers belt. So maybe it's a little cruel, but dragging out the weakest pokémon means that I can overpower them. If the pokémon is strong, but recently caught, it means it's easy for me to confuse them because of the lack of communication with their trainer." crossing her arms, she grinned. "I'm guessing that your Blitzle there falls into the latter?"

Hilda clenched her teeth as Lenora chuckled.

"It's a work in progress!" she snapped. "So what're you supposed to do if someone outwits you, huh?! What if a trainer puts their weaker pokémon out first or their strongest in the last slot?"

"I've yet to meet a trainer who's experienced enough to know that." Lenora admitted. "Mostly, I get newer trainers almost a month into their journey. They don't have enough experience to recognize slight of hand strategies like that."

"So what?!" Hilda demanded. "We may be inexperienced and Blitzle may hate me, but that doesn't mean we can't win!"

"Hate you?" Lenora actually looked surprised. "I doubt that your pokémon there hates you."

" _Wrong, I hate the human."_ Blitzle snapped, charging forward with another Flame Charge.

Hilda so badly wanted to yell at Blitzle while she did as she pleased, but a part of her knew that Blitzle would just shock her again and refuse to listen. Perhaps the best course of action to let Blitzle learn would be to let her realize that her strategy wouldn't work forever. It almost reminded her of when her mother never gave her warnings when she was a child. Unlike Bianca and Cheren, who heard list after lists of warnings like 'don't ride your bike so fast over gravel, don't do this, don't do that… Her mother let her do as she pleased until she hurt herself.

After crashing her bike and sliding a yard on gravel in her shorts, Hilda certainly never rode her bike like a crazy woman over gravel again. So maybe she should take a page out of her mothers book of tough love, and just let Blitzle hurt herself, then swoop in and express the care and love that Blitzle refused to accept right now.

Herdier let out a howl of pain as Blitzle finally managed to finish it off with a third and final Flame Charge. With a toss of her head and a whinny, Blitzle stared at Lenora. Snorting, she spoke.

" _Told you I didn't need the human._ "

"Reckless attacks like that won't help you in the end all." Lenora said simply, tossing a pokéball in the air. There, a Watchog stood on the field. "Retaliate!"

Hilda snapped her head up at that, blurting out a sentence against her decision to not try to order Blitzle around.

"Blitzle, move out of the way!"

" _I don't need to listen to you, human!"_ Blitzle snapped, only to be mercilessly knocked around by Watchog. In frustration, Blitzle let out another Discharge, and Hilda abruptly pulled out her pokéball and returned her.

"Not in the expense of you getting hurt!" she snapped at the pokéball as it shook about dangerously in her hand. She curled her hand around it tight, hoping to keep Blitzle contained as she grabbed Oshawott's pokéball and sent him out instead.

"Razor Shell!" she ordered. Without skipping a beat, Oshawott lunged, brandishing his shell lethally as he attacked. Hilda continued to try to keep Blitzle from popping out.

"Blitzle," she practically begged. "Blitzle please! Retaliate increased in strength after there's a fainted opponent!" bringing her gaze back up to the battle, she ground her teeth together as Watchog used Leer.

Then, an idea hit her.

"Oshawott, Encore!"

Oshawott nodded back, and let out a spray of mist, clapping his hands and cheering as his eyes glowed purple. Watchog's eyes also glowed in a faint, hypnotic purple, and she used leer again.

Hilda watched as Oshawott fought back and forth with his defense lowering, grinding her teeth at her risky plan. Finally, Encore wore off, and Lenora immediately went for Retaliate.

Hilda ground her teeth, flinching as Oshawott let out a cry of pain, flying back and landing weakly at her feet.

"Oshawott, Revenge!" she yelled. Oshawott immediately acted, clenching his fists and screaming to the heavens as his body became enshrouded in an orange aura. His eyes glowing crimson among the orange, he charged forward in a blinding speed, and slammed into Watchog.

Watchog let out it's own roar of pain as she went flying back, rolling past Lenora with Oshawott on top of her. Then, they stopped in a heap at the stares, Oshawott, panting victoriously over Watchog, then finally collapsing off of him, exhausted.

"Oshawott…!" Hilda clipped Blitzle's ball back onto her belt, running across the field and snatching up the water-type. "Hey, buddy… You okay?"

 _"I feel… funny."_ Oshawott muttered, clenching his eyes shut as if he were concentrating. Then, he began to glow.

"Whoa!" Hilda squinted her eyes against the light, watching as Oshawott's form completely turned white, and he began to grow… and become substantially heavier. Behind her eyelids, Hilda saw the light die down, and when she opened her eyes, a different pokémon was in her arms. "… Oshawott?"

" _Cool!"_ he exclaimed popping up and seeming a little more energized. " _I'm a Dewott now! So that means…_ "

He grinned, spinning one shell in each hand, then tossing both in the air. Though he tried to perform an impressive trick, he fell short when he caught one, and the other fell right on his head.

" _Aw…"_ Dewott groaned, retrieving his shell. " _I was trying to look cool there…"_

"We'll work on it." Hilda rubbed his head, cracking a humored smile.

"My theory about you was correct," Lenora had also cracked her own humored smile, returning Watchog. "You're more than just all talk. You've got motivation! I salute you!"

With that, she flipped a badge to her like one would flip a coin, and Hilda caught it between her fingers, unsatisfied. She held out her other hand, waiting.

"Pushy, huh?" Lenora shook her head with a playful tsk, reaching into her apron pocket and pulling out some bills, passing them to Hilda. She counted them briskly, then grinned. Fifty-five. Pretty decent haul for knocking out two normal-types. "Anyways, this is the Basic Badge. That's your reward for winning."

"Awesome, fantastic." Hilda stood, returning Dewott with a confident grin. She pinned the Basic Badge under the Trio Badge, on the inside of her vest. "Thanks, I guess."

"Hilda-"

Lenora sounded like she wanted to say something important, but suddenly, she was cut off by an eardrum blowing explosion. Hilda felt the entire building shake. Knowing the sensation all to well, she let out a startled yelp. This couldn't possibly be another earthquake…!

"What was that?!" Lenora cried out as the shaking subsided. Turning towards the entrance, she saw Hawes scrambling down the stairs, a frantic look on his face. "Hawes! What's going on?!"

"Honey, this is bad!" Hawes' cried out. "This is really bad! A… A bomb went off! Someone set a bomb off, and now some people are claiming artifacts in the name of pokémon liberation!"

"Pokémon liberation…?!" Hilda echoed, knowing the phase all to well thanks to some ridiculous activists. Grinding her teeth and now having a bone to pick with them she pushed past Hawes and scrambled up the stairs…

Only to be greeted with smoke.

o.0.o.0.o

 **I have some questions for everyone that I think would be fun before the eventual writing of Ultra Sun and Moon! What should I name the Ultra Sun and Moon protagonists?**

 **Yue(m) and Aine(f)  
** **Yue(m) and Elidi(f)  
** **Yue(m) and Malina(f)**

 **Máni(m) and Aine(f)  
** **Máni(m) and Elidi(f)  
** **Máni(m) and Malina(f)  
**

 **Jericho(m) and Aine(f)  
** **Jericho(m) and Elidi(f)  
** **Jericho(m) and Malina(f)**

 **Thanks for your input!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	13. Nipping Weeds

**You know, my grandpa always had a phrase: "Once you get over that hump, the rest of the week flies by."**

 **So what does this have to do with the story? I feel positively invigorated! Like I could write and write and write, and maybe update within a couple of weeks! I have ideas pertaining to Castelia and Team Plasma and all the characters, with everything combining together into one beautiful creation!**

 **I haven't felt like this in months! Guess I just needed to get over that Lenora gym battle, eh?**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

As Hilda burst through the library doors, three things were heavily apparent. The first was that the room was filled with smoke, though it wasn't as if there was a fire. It was like dust, dust that was quickly clearing. The second was that the place was completely overrun with Team Plasma grunts. The third was, that among the panicked crowd rushing to leave, she did not see one sign of Bianca, Cheren, or Vale.

But she did spot Black, standing back and observing. In his hand was a pokéball, but he wasn't moving forward to confront them. He was… studying them.

"Black!" she hollered from the top of the stairs, bolting down them. He very evidently flinched, then shot her an annoyed look as he stood from his hiding place. "Black, what happened?!"

"Team Plasma's what happened." Black answered simply. "The blew a hole in the west wing and came running in here. Before anyone could stop them, they had already taken the Light Stone and the Dragon Skull in their possession."

"You lot!" Lenora bellowed, running down the stairs next to them. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh, so you came gym leader?" one Plasma grunt openly mocked. "This is such an honor! Typically you lock yourself in that study of yours and focus only on your research and your battles! I suppose when your precious dragon skull is on the line, you'll come running to defend your city?"

"Enough of that!" Lenora snapped back, clearly insulted by them implying she did not care for Nacrene. "You have no right to criticize me! Return what you have stolen, thieves!"

"Sorry, but no can do!" a female grunt laughed. "Team Plamsa needs these items for their ultimate liberation goal! And just to show that we're serious…"

She trailed off as her male counterpart held up an oddly wrapped package, his smirk equally confident.

"We'll steal it right before your eyes!"

With that, he threw the package on the ground, and smoke immediately filled the air.

"Everyone, cover your nose and mouth!" Hilda heard Black yell over the commotion of Lenora and Hawes yelling. Hilda immediately ducked down, clapping both hands over her face as a makeshift mask, squinting her eyes through the smoke, though she couldn't see a thing.

Someone shouted to open a window, and she heard stumbling noises. Smoke alarms were going off due to the smoke, and immediately, alarms were blaring due to another whole reason. A noise that was clearly coming from a technical device rang out, and then, they were cascaded with water.

"Son of a-!" she snapped as her clothes became completely soaked. Shivering, she looked around. A part of her wanted to snap that it was so fine and freaking dandy that the exhibits were protected by glass casings… But when she caught Lenora's face, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Lenora's mouth was agape, her eyes wide with horror. She didn't seem to care that her once prevalent afro now sat flat against her back, nor the fact that her clothes were completely soaked. Instead, her gaze was focused on the main attraction, the huge skeleton of a dragon-type pokémon… And the fact the skull was missing.

"… They got away…" she clenched both her fists and her teeth, then snapped her gaze up. "Hawes! Make sure everyone is safe, I've got some skulls to crack!"

Then Lenora, now a woman on a mission, rushed out the front door of the museum.

"Don't leave me outta the Plasma beat-down!" Hilda began to march forward, only to have Black grab her arm. Immediately, she snapped at him. "Hands off, creep!"

Black, however, simply held out his jacket, having shed it for some reason and revealing a simple black T-shirt undernieth. Hilda's gaze flicked to it for only a moment, then snapped back up to him.

"Put your jacket back on!"

"Take it."

"No! Why should I?!"

"Out of curiosity," Black's gaze trailed upwards, and Hilda's eyes followed, though she saw only the still dripping sprinklers. "What exactly happens to a white tank-top when it gets wet?"

Hilda felt her entire spine stiffen, locking in place and not even wanting to look down. Black waved his jacket towards her, the zipper jingling mockingly.

"Gimme that!" she snapped, snatching it from him and struggling to pull the soaked garment on. She suspected that it would have hung loosely on her anyways, considering how he was taller than her… But now that it was wet, it hung heavily past her wrists and almost completely covered her shorts.

"Aw, you can pull off a cute look…" Black hummed, finally bringing his gaze down when he heard the zipper zip.

"You saw anything and I'll scoop your eyes out with a plastic spoon, making sure to break it in the process so the little shards are stuck in your eyeless sockets." Hilda immediately threatened, turning on her heel and marching after Lenora.

Outside, they were met with a weak police line already being set up, artists angrily giving their testimony about how people running around like knights hand trampled their artwork. Lenora was looking about frantically.

"Lenora!"

A male voice rose above the crowd, shoving past the police and raving artists, dragging someone else forward. He looked like every other art wierdo in this town… with the exception that his hair was a normal, light brown color. The person he was dragging behind him was Vale, and she looked to be an equal mix of uncomfortable and worried.

"Lenora, I came here for some artistic inspiration, but it seems I'm in the middle of a crisis! What's going on?"

"Burgh…" Lenora trailed off, averting her gaze shamefully. "A bunch of weirdos claiming to be Team Plasma members came in and stole two exhibits from my museum. I caught the tail end of them, they seemed to have split up. One group went running towards Route 3 while the other was going towards Pinwheel Forest."

"Who're you and why's Vale with you?" Hilda demanded.

"… Who am I?" Burgh cocked his head. "You don't know who I am?"

"Does it matter or does it not?!" Hilda snapped.

"Hilda, this is Burgh." Lenora cut in. "He's Castelia City's gym leader, though he often comes down here to get over his artists block, as he said."

"Clearly, she's never seen a piece of my mastery." Burgh shrugged, flamboyantly flipping his scarf over his shoulder in mock offense. "But whatever. No big deal on my end."

"So why is Vale with you?" Black cut in. Burgh shot him a curious look.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Hilda, that moron's Black." Hilda answered impatiently. "That girl next to you is Vale, and she's my friend." she thrust a thumb at Lenora. "That's Lenora and you're Burgh. Now that that's all cleared up, _why is she with you?"_

"Well, in the midst of traveling around the back allies for some inspiration, I saw three men wearing all black openly attacking her with a Swanna." Burgh took his chin in his hand with a sigh. "Were it not such a terrifying reality, it would have made for a great painting. But nonetheless, I decided to step in with my Leavanny. To be honest…"

His gaze trailed off, glancing at Vale, but she had her eyes shut, her lips pursed and arms crossed.

"I don't think that they were scared off by my Leavanny. I'm not sure what they wanted with her, but I guess that since they had a witness, they stopped whatever they were planning to do."

"Besides the point," Vale, opened her eyes. "Shortly after they left, the bomb they attached to the side of the museum went off and Team Plasma grunts began to swarm the alley. Burgh dragged me here."

"Great." Lenora ran a hand down her face in frustration. "Not only are these Plamsa nuts stealing my exhibits, but they're also attempting to kidnap people from right under my nose… All while mocking me to boot!"

Hilda had a feeling that the comment about her never being there for her city, despite her gym leader status, really struck a cord with her. Lowing her hand and lifting her head, Lenora's gaze was burning with determination.

"We're going to split up! Hilda!" she snapped her gaze to her. "You seem smart enough!Burgh, you take Hilda and search the Pinwheel Forest! I'm sure she can handle it by herself! Vale, you beat my gym, so I know you're tough! You fit for a fight?"

Vale visibly tensed, and Hilda glanced at her. She didn't know Vale was taking the gym challenge as well... Vale's gaze was on the ground, hesitating for only a moment. Then, she mutely nodded.

"Great! I need all hands on deck! Black, you saw the most of what happened inside, right?"

"Well, yes," Black began, holding up a hand, a suggestion on his lips. "But I think I'd better-"

"Stay here and give the police a good report!" Lenora ordered, roughly grabbing Vale's wrist and turning on her heel. "They want to be graced with my presence? Fine! They'll be so blessed that they won't even see me coming!"

With that, she dragged Vale off, pushing past the cops and crowds of complaining artists with long, angry strides. Black let out a sigh, slowly turning toward Hilda and Burgh. His face and form was completely relaxed, but in his eyes, Hilda saw that he was very. Acutely. _Irritated_.

"You okay?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow and cocking her head. "I mean, if you really want to kick Plasma ass that badly, I'm sure Hawes can handle a report to the police."

"Oh, no. I'm fine." Black was lying. Maybe to other's, it seemed like a reassurance of confidence in her… But it was so cringingly obvious that Hilda rightly cringed. "I've seen you fight, I know _you'll_ be fine. But Vale… I can't quite be sure."

"I'm sure Vale will be fine." Burgh cut in before Hilda could snap her opinion. "She's with Lenora after all… If you think that the pokémon she used to fight Hilda here are her only ones, you're sorely undereducated about the League rules."

There was a sudden chill along with the tension in the air as Black's face went completely flat. There was no anger, no irritation… absolute nothingness behind his gaze. It was just cold and dark… like what Hilda honestly imagined a void would feel like. Slowly, she pulled her gaze away from Black, and saw Burgh staring straight back at him with an gaze that was nothing but determined.

"Burgh, let's go." Hilda hissed, grabbing his forearm as Black's head slowly bowed forward, the brim of his cap hiding his eyes. "Don't focus on him, come on."

Burgh bobbed his head once, then turned with her and began walking away.

Hilda wasn't quite sure what she expected when she glanced over her shoulder, but what she saw wasn't it.

Black's head was raised, one hand in his jeans pocket and the other hand giving her a wave. There was a smile on his face, and from a distance…

It was almost reassuring.

And that was probably the most unsettling about the whole ordeal.

o.0.o.0.o

"You know, if they did somehow manage to lug that heavy fossil into the Pinwheel Forest," Burgh hummed, swinging his arms back and forth as he marched towards the forest with Hilda keeping up. "Because the bug-types there will just build a habitat where ever they can find in such an overpopulated place…"

"Then it's a good thing if it's overpopulated." Hilda said. "That should slow them down."

"So true!" Burgh smacked her on the back. "I like how you think, Hilda!"

Hilda couldn't help but recoil at his touch. Burgh was like Bianca when it came to being a touchy-feely friend… Except for with none of the childhood familiarity and all the similarity of him being a Bianca on steroids. The longer that she was around him the more annoyed she got… And the more she wished that Vale and herself had switched places.

But thankfully, it was a forest, so that meant they had to split up to cover it all… Eventually.

"So your friend back there… Black." Burgh's tone was still airy and lighthearted, but it sounded as if he was doing that in order to cover up a serious conversation he wanted to have. "Is he always so sensitive?"

"So you picked up on that too?" Hilda was honestly surprised. Black seemed very experienced in keeping his emotions under wrap, so much so that _no one_ she's met so far has been able to completely decipher him… She's still trying to figure out the truth behind him. She could usually pin people in an hour tops… Their goals, what they feel… But Black was still an annoying, walking, talking mystery.

"It's an artists job to analyze everything as a possible muse." Burgh said simply, placing a hand over his heart as if he had made an inspiring proclamation. "Well, that and living in the economic capital known as Castelia. I learned pretty quickly to not trust the emotions displayed on the face. So, is he typically like that?"

"I don't know." Hilda shrugged. "I've only known him for a couple of weeks. He annoys the crap outta me and I insult him all the time, but I've never seen him react like that."

"Perhaps I threatened his manhood in front of his lady love." Burgh chuckled, clearly being dramatic. Hilda snorted, suddenly liking Burgh a little more than she did previously.

"I doubt he was embarrassed because you called him out on his so-called stupidity in front of me. I'd bet my cap that he was more mad you had the gall to think he was stupid enough to not be educated on the league rules."

"I'll be honest, I threw that out just to make him squirm." Burgh again grinned. "That smile on his face was so unsettling! You can always tell what a person is really like when they're insulted, you know… Which honestly makes me even more worried about what he's hiding behind that smile."

Hilda honestly couldn't believe it at this point. She had found a comrade who understood her _loathing_ for Black! Albeit, an unlikely comrade, but someone who understood nonetheless!

"Now then," Burgh placed his hands on his hips as they came to a fork in the road. "There are only two ways out of Pinwheel Forest. The path straight through,"

He pointed over his head towards the paved path with a fence lining it, clearly to keep the wildlife from disturbing pedestrians and vehicles. Flamboyantly, his other arm crossed his chest and pointed to a more densely vegetated path.

"And the path that goes through the forest." he lowered his hands back to his hips, grinning down at her. "And while I love talking to you about your clearly troubled friend, I think if we split up, we'll either corner them or catch up to them quicker."

"Corner them?" Hilda gave him an odd look. Burgh nodded.

"Yes. Both paths exit out at Skyarrow Bridge. This paved path is for the more casual tourist, while the forest path is for trainers who want to train their pokémon." Burgh smirked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Good practice for my gym, if I am to be completely honest."

"So who's going which way?" Hilda fixed a determined look on her face as Burgh glanced down the paved path with a worried look in his eyes.

"I'm going to take the paved path. People mostly know who I am due to my gym leader and artist status, so they'll listen to me. I'll warn people that there are criminals running amok in the forest."

Burgh glanced back at her.

"How are your pokémon looking? We didn't get a chance to head to a pokémon center, and you just got out of a gym battle…"

"My Blitzle got pretty beat up, and my Dewott is probably tired…" Hilda took both of the pokéballs off her belt and glanced at them in her hands. "They were the only two I used."

"Okay, then," Burgh nodded once, then reached into the fannypack on his waist. He passed two medicine sprays to her, green in color. "Those are some full restores. They should fix up everything except PP count."

"Okay." Hilda nodded her head, balancing the two pokéballs in one hand and the two medications in the other. "Thanks."

"Anytime!" Burgh grinned, then turned on his heel. "Good luck on the forest path! I'm sure you'll do great!"

o.0.o.0.o

"There you go Vale!" Lenora grinned proudly as Vale stiffly stood beside her.

The Cottenee she had captured was doing surprisingly well… So while Lenora used a Stoutland to basically crush everything, she was using her Cottenee to take out the few that were still standing, raking in experience for the grass type so she could at least try to catch him up to where Audino was. In the background, said Audino was healing Cottenee and Stoutland as they continued to push through the seemingly never ending barrage of grunts.

"Where are they all even coming from…?" she muttered under her breath. All of these grunts would typically indicate that they had taken what was most important with them to protect it… Typically. But this didn't explain why they were openly attacking on the offensive, and not being defensive.

Then, there were screams. Vale whipped around, looking over her shoulder, and saw a malicious looking… Something or another literally tearing it's way through the grunts and trees. It's body was silver with little thorns sticking out of it, long, dangerous green appendages tearing through grass as it went from traveling on the ground to swinging from the trees with little care for people around it.

"What is that?!" Vale couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as the thing continued to rampage through the forest. Completely ignoring who was friend or foe, the pokémon tore towards them. Lenora had returned her pokémon, and Vale followed suit, diving to the side as it nearly tore her clothes.

"What on earth is Ferrothorn doing here?" Lenora's voice was both shocked, but confused. Vale lifted her gaze to her.

"Ferrothorn?"

"It's a steel-grass type." Lenora said simply. "Typically only found in caves, so it makes no sense that it would be here."

"What about that one cave near the daycare?" Vale wracked her brain for the name. "Uh… Wellspring Cave! Could it have come from there?"

"No, I search that caves for fossils all the time." Lenora shook her head firmly. "Never once have I come across it's pre-evolution, Ferroseed… Let along a fully evolved, powerful Ferrothorn like that."

The thing turned back to them, narrowing it's eyes. Vale stood her ground, when all of a sudden, it lunged.

"Vale!" Lenora shouted as she leapt to the side, the pokémon's tentacles sending bits of earth flying in the air where she was just standing. "Great Arceus, the thing is feral!"

No, Vale immediately thought as the thing lunged at her again. Not feral. Feral pokémon wouldn't set a target, it would attack wildly at whomever it pleased, as it was before. Maybe it was territorial, and attacking whom it thought was the leader… But if so, it would go for the strongest, which at the moment was Lenora and her Stoutland!

"Lenora! Keep things under control here!" Vale barely missed another tendril striking her arm as she dodged to the left. "I'm going to test something!"

Not waiting for an answer, she slid under the Ferrothorn and ran. Immediately, Ferrothorn tore after her, confirming what she thought. Someone had ordered this thing to find her… But who?

As she went to the right, a beam of light struck right where her foot was about to land. It was a move of some sort, what, she didn't know, but Ferrothorn had her on a path. Clearly, it wasn't out to capture her or injure her, as it would have crippled her then dragged her off. This pokémon was trained, and was trying to get her to a certain location…

And she hoped beyond any feasible prayer that this wasn't something set up b Ghetsis. He struck her as the type who would take pleasure in making his prey walking into his own trap…

Soon enough, she sprinted straight into a clearing, where a single figure stood. It was familiar to her, but she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or not.

"Black." she exhaled slowly, trying to calm her lungs, still quivering for air. Black stood casually in the center, his hand in his pockets and shoulders slightly slouched as he stood.

He was smiling. And she did not like that smile, not in the slightest.

"Hello, Vale." Black's voice was cheerful, maybe jovial. "I've been waiting, you know."

"You were supposed to be giving a report to the police." she stated, not exactly accusatory… But curious.

"Trivial." Black waved his hand through the air with obvious disinterest. "I'd much rather put my time into something a bit more meaningful…"

"What could be more meaningful than a report that could help police capture thieves?"

"A report to capture international criminals." Black's tone was teasing and airy, like he was making a good joke. Vale felt her entire spine tense, but she refused to let her worry show. Black caught her gaze with an almost sinister smile. "You know, for example."

"How self-righteous." her voice came out shakier than she would have liked, but she did not drop her guard. She glanced over her shoulder at the Ferrothorn. "Yours, I'm assuming?"

"Perhaps." Black replied.

"Okay then, why pull me away from fighting thieves?"

"That's easy," Black gripped the brim of his hat, glancing at her. "It would be rather wrong of me to allow a pretty lady to fight a bunch of ruffians like that."

"So I'm guessing that Lenora and Hilda doesn't fall under the category of pretty?" Vale crossed her arms, not buying a word of it. Tall, willowy girls were not pretty, and tall, willowy girls with half their face marred up were especially not pretty. They were abnormal and ugly. _She_ was abnormal and ugly.

"Aw, don't make me choose." Black sighed, shoulders slumping as if he were in defeat. "I think Hilda's blue eyes are pretty, but I think your eyes are pretty to."

Vale fixed him with a dead look. Black's smile didn't falter.

"C'mon, you don't believe me? I'm not lying. Plus, I happen to really like tall girls."

"Enough to pull them away from a possibly dangerous situation by using an equally dangerous pokémon and possibly hurting her in a the process." Vale clearly turned her head away. "Don't make me laugh, Black. Do I strike you as an idiot? Do you think I don't know that you're hiding something behind that act?"

"Man, you too?" Black rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe I'm loosing my charm…"

"I don't know what you expect to find from me, but whatever you want, you'll never get it." Vale pointedly turned on her heel, hoping to walk away peacefully.

However, she felt an ominous presence on her left, and turned abruptly. Her left wrist was already tightly gripped in Black's hand, twisted so that one good jerk could break it... But her right hand shot out and grasped his neck, gripping tightly at the pressure points. Her gaze was cold as she bore down at Black's face… But she couldn't read anything that he was thinking.

"Impressive." Black finally said as Vale slowly narrowed her eyes. "Not many people have instincts like that."

Vale could say the same to him. She's not met anyone who could move that fast… With the exception of her own trainers when she was in Ghetsis's previous organization, the Masked Rockets.

As she stared down at Black, she realized she was in a particularly hard spot. She wasn't about to release his neck, but she couldn't call one of her pokémon to the field without dropping her free hand. One wrong move on her part, and Black has proven that he could easily overpower her…

Then, she felt something crawling across her hip. She didn't budge, knowing exactly what it was. Joltik was in his pokéball for safety… When had he forced himself out?

He continued crawling, little, tiny claws cinching into her clothes as he made his way up her back and to the nape of her neck… Then travelled down her right shoulder and under her arm, slowly moving towards Black.

"Who are you?" Vale finally asked, hoping to distract him from whatever her little pokémon was planning.

"Just a good citizen with a great appreciation for pretty ladies." Black responded.

"Huh…" Vale murmured, moving her free hand from his neck and gripped his chin between her thumb and forefinger. Black smiled, as if he had done this a thousand times before. Her gaze went cold as Joltik crawled to the top of her palm. "Don't take me for a fool."

Then, Joltik leapt from her hand and attached himself to Black's face. With her right hand free as Black scrambled at Joltik, she worked on pressure-pointing his other hand around his wrist, squeezing at the small, little hole between the bones until he let go. When he stumbled back, Joltik delivered a spiteful little shock, then leapt back to her.

As she turned to run, however, Ferrothorn was behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood when she heard Black chuckle. She turned back to him, tensing as he rose.

"You don't play around, do you?" Black braced himself, looking ready for a fight, eyes glinting dangerously under the shadow of his cap. "That's okay. I'll stop playing, too, then…"

As the coldness of his tone settled over the area, someone interrupted the tense moment. From the bushes, someone came rustling out, halting at the scene before him.

A Team Plasma Grunt.

He was panting, clearly exhausted from his run. In his arms was the round light stone, and he was glancing back and forth between the two, finally settling on Vale.

"You…!" he exclaimed. As quickly he spoke, he was dangling in the air, screaming as the Ferrothorn entangled his legs. The light stone fell to the ground, rolling from his arms and coming to a stop.

As Black lowered the arm he used to command what was now clearly his Ferrothorn, Vale suddenly connected the dots.

"Black, you need to go to Pinwheel Forest." she said simply, picking up the light stone in her hand. "Of all things…"

"What do you know?" Black immediately demanded. Vale shot him a glare, slightly miffed at his accusatory tone.

"Get over yourself, you're not making any sort of revolutionary breakthrough." Vale snapped at him. "Team Plasma was attacking me and Lenora on the offensive, not the defensive. If they were defending this item, they would be guarding it, not sending some grunt farther ahead and running in circles. Simply put, they sent a larger group of grunts here, hoping to entice the police and Lenora into chasing them, and it worked. This was a distraction to keep them busy while their top guns made off with their true prize… The Dragon Skull."

"… I've been played for an idiot, I see." Black muttered under his breath, returning Ferrothorn and letting the grunt drop. As the grunt let out a cry of pain from impact, Black turned on his heel.

"… Are you going to help Hilda?" Vale couldn't hide the skepticism in her voice. And Black's response… Honestly wasn't surprising.

"Don't think I'm doing this because I care about Hilda," Black let out a dry chuckle as he glanced back at her. "I just really, really _hate_ looking like an idiot."

o.0.o.0.o

"It's a path for trainers, he said. We can corner them if you go this way, he said." Hilda swiped some more plants to the side as they attempted to stick and scratch at her face, now clearly irritated. "I'm only a gym leader that clearly knows this path. I'm strong enough to handle what can be thrown at me. But nope! Let's send the inexperienced trainer into the dense as f*ck forest and have her fight through a million bug and grass types when she doesn't have a damn fire type to burn them to a crisp. That sounds like a great idea!"

Hilda has never _loathed_ a person in her life. True, there was one aspect of Burgh she liked, that being him being able to openly bash Black and not look at her like she was nuts when she did… But now she had two things she _hated_ about him. First was his touchy-feely interactions with unfamiliar people… And second was that he sent her into a humid forest without warning just how many grass and bug-types were here.

But… she was on to something at this point. She had run into several Team Plasma grunts, all proclaiming ridiculous things about doing this in the name of liberation or of a worthy cause…

And then she shut them up when one of her pokémon.

But rightfully so, she was positively sick of this place. She was always a wild kid who liked to run around… But she felt like she was tricked into tromping through this freaking forest and she just couldn't _stand it._

So when she walked through the last log tunnel, she saw two more grunts struggling to carry the Dragon Skull between them. Remaining hidden for only a moment, she watched as the duo dropped the skull before an old-looking man wearing gray robes, the Team Plasma crest proudly holding his cape closed. He was bald, with a strange hat on his head and a thick white mustache, though he was overlooking a rather large pond in the forest, the water lapping gently against the banks.

"How are you holding up, fellow subjects of our king?" he asked, tearing his gaze from the view and glancing down at the panting grunts.

"Sage Gorm," one of the grunts gasped. "We're receiving word that a gym leader is guarding the entrance to Castelia, and there's someone following us and defeating everyone who's supposed to guard us…!"

"She supposedly the same girl who interfered in the Dream Yard and at Wellspring Cave too…!" the female grunt sounded genuinely scared… And she should.

"Damn straight!" Hilda stomped out of the log, crossing her arms as Dewott stood wielding both of his shells. "Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way! You can hand over the skull and haul your happy ass's back to Nacrene, or I can beat the skull outta you and _drag_ you back to Nacrene!"

"She's here!" the female grunt screeched, looking positively terrified.

"Don't show fear!" the male grunt stood, taking out a pokéball. "We need to protect Sage Gorm…!"

As he sent out a Sandile and the female hesitantly sent out a Cottenee. Easily, however, she just let Eevee and Dewott knock both to the side. The girl wailed out a 'no' while the male stumbled back, looking surprised.

"After coming so far…" the male grunt murmured, bowing his head in disappointment. "Only to have all of our effort stolen away by a ruffian?"

"It's fine." the sage, Gorm, suddenly said, catching everyone's attention. "We can afford to abandon the Dragon Skull. According to the results of our research,"

He glanced at his wrist. Hilda realized he was looking at a X-transceiver, which honestly looked odd, considering he was dressed like someone from a medieval MMORPG. It appeared he was reading a text message of some sort.

"Yes… According to the research and tests performed, the Dragon Skull is not the legendary pokémon that Team Plasma seeks. In fact, it is completely unrelated."

His gaze slowly lifted to Hilda as he lowered his wrist, looking at her with clear malice in his eyes.

"You, however, have been interfering with us on more than one occasion… No?"

"That's right!" Hilda pointed her finger at him. "I don't buy the whole 'we're a peaceful group' crap!'. Peaceful groups don't plant bombs and hurt daycares and poach pokémon and mug little girls! Keep up with stunts like that, and soon there's gonna be more than just me hunting you down!"

"Hmm…" Gorm glanced around at the trees surrounding them, then spoke. "Perhaps a metaphor is in order. Child, have you ever cared for a garden before?"

"I haven't, but my mother does." Hilda didn't lower her guard in the slightest, not sure what the hell gardening had to do with her beating the crap out of them.

"Now then, what does she say about weeds?"

"Weeds?" now she was really confused. "She says to nip 'em in the bud while they're young, 'cause if you don't, they'll take over the whole garden."

"Exactly." Gorm nodded his head once, then grabbed a pokéball from the folds of his robe, Hilda immediately tensed, an order on her lips to have Dewott and Eevee attack. "You, child, are posing a formidable threat to Team Plasma, but you lack reputation. At the time, you are a no-name trainer who seems to think that you have us figured out… But with time, you might have the influence to pose a true danger to us. Like a weed, if we allow you to grow, you will only overwhelm and overtake our garden, being Team Plasma. So,"

He threw a pokéball in the air, and a terrifying pokémon came out. Faintly, she knew she recognized the monstrosity that was the bug-type, Scolcipede… But with the way her heart was pounding at the huge pokémon that towered as tall as some of the trees in the forest. As if her body was acting against what her mind was screaming, which was to fight, she took a step back under the bug's intimidating gaze.

"As you so aptly put it, we must 'nip you in the bud', before you pose to much of a threat."

And with those words, Scolcipede let loose, easily knocking aside Dewott, Eevee following soon after. Out of desperation, Hilda released Blitzle and Petilil with hopes that the four on one would give her an advantage, but the beast simply knocked them aside as well. Without even thinking, she began gesturing wildly with her arms, hoping her pokémon would somehow get the message. To her utter relief, they did, albeit, clumsily. She saw Dewott clambering up his back, slashing with his shells while Eevee was uselessly dug his teeth into its skin, holding on for dear life as the pokémon thrashed.

Blitzle charged past her, enshrouded in flames as it rammed into Scolcipede. The seemed to have done some damage, but the Scolcipede let out a huff, then violently charged at Blitzle. Blitzle stubbornly held her ground, refusing to back down from the fight.

"Crap, Blitzle-!" she couldn't help but scream as Scolcipede threw her in the air, letting her drop in a heap to the side. As Petilil darted forward to feebly attempt to do something, Scolcipede also knocked her to the side. Dewott and Eevee were still trying to do some sort of damage, leaving Hilda with no choice.

Running faster than she ever had, Hilda just barely threw herself over Blitzle as the Scolcipede slashed at her back.

" _Human-?!"_ Blitzle's voice came out as a shocked screech as Hilda laid her head against Blitzle's bristled fur. Arceus, that hurt. She knew it was going to hurt, getting attacked by such a dangerous pokémon, but it was _burning_ beyond anything that she ever felt.

She felt like she was going to be sick, hearing the screams of horror from her pokémon… But the pain was so intense in her back that her ears were ringing.

" _Human! Human, say something!"_ Blitzle's voice again, her muzzle pushing against her hand. Slowly, Hilda lifted her hand, placing a hand against Blitzle's face.

"Run." she ordered simply. "Take the others and run."

 _"What?!"_ Blitzle sounded insulted at that. " _Human, you're no quitter! Stand up, human!"_

Blitzle's voice slurred together into a huge mess of sounds, piercing through the pounding headache she was now suffering from and the cries of her other pokémon screaming her name.

o.0.o.0.o

As Black casually walked past the grunts he had restrained against a tree, to be arrested later, he heard a rather superior sounding voice speaking through the trees. Hiding out of sight, he casually peeked around the corner, watching the scene before him.

Well… Hilda hardly looked good. She was laying collapsed on the ground, a gaping wound on her back, oozing blood and a strange, foamy purple substance. A Scolcipede, the obvious culprit, stood off to the side while two Team Plasma grunts stood next to it, a woman gaping in horror while the male grunt looked rather sick. Before them stood a man that was clearly important, wearing more elaborate robes, but his membership of Team Plasma evident due to the crest on his chest.

"S-Sage Gorm…" the woman whispered, hands over her mouth. "What… What have you done?!"

"A necessary evil, unfortunately." the man, Gorm, said, retrieving a pokéball and returning the Scolcipede. "The loss of life is sometimes necessary for the certainty of our peaceful world… This girl would have eventually posed a formidable threat to our king and our goal… As well as to the peace of pokémon all across Unova."

"But she's not even a gym leader." the woman continued to argue. "Just… just a no-name trainer who was to arrogant for her own good!"

"As I said, a necessary evil." Gorm shot a fleeting glance back at Hilda, speaking slowly. "I wouldn't necessarily call it arrogance, since she has the strength to back it up. She made it through all of our grunts without breaking a sweat… And even then, her pokémon caused damage to Scolcipede..."

He trailed off, as if contemplating something.

"They say that if a trainer journeys and battles with their pokémon enough, they create their own unique language which only they can understand." Gorm said slowly, as if he were still thinking out his own thoughts. "But she communicated with her pokémon like that on par with veteran trainers. The only other person whom I've ever seen perform in such a way was-"

"Sage Gorm…" the male grunt seemed to cut off the sage's train of thoughts. "I think she's still breathing…"

This was true. Faintly, Black could make out her back shifting as she took quick, short breaths, her entire body wracked with trembles. Side effects of poisoning, probably…

"… Perhaps Ghetsis might be interested in a trainer so much like our king… Albeit, a bit clumsier than him, but the abilities were so uncannily similar…"

"And I'm going to cut you off right there." Black announced, formerly making his presence known.

"Another trainer…?" the male grunt muttered. "Are you here to save your girlfriend or something?"

"Girlfriend?" Black cocked his head, then shrugged. "Whatever you want to think, sir. Now, shall we do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"Nooooo…" the low groan came from below him, and Black cast his gaze down. Hilda was conscious, eyes glittering with fever as she glared at him. "Good Arceus… Take me wherever you want, just don't leave me with him…"

Conscious, and apparently aware of the conversation going on around her…

"Aw no, deary," Black waved his hand dismissively towards her. "Don't say things like that, you're dying."

"Just because I'm f*cking dying doesn't mean I ain't sane." Hilda hissed back at him, then slowly buried her head back against the grass, curling into a little ball as she trembled.

"Do excuse her, nothing since couples quarrels since we got together." Black shrugged. "But seriously… Your buddies are behind me tied to a couple of trees, and I need to add you to the collection…"

"We can't let one of the sages get captured…!" the woman wiped at her eyes, standing fully and pressing a button. "Sage Gorm! I'm calling in the helicopter, we cannot afford to underestimate an opponent twice!"

"Sage…" Black echoed, staring at Gorm with a curious look on his face. Gorm glanced at him.

"That is I. I am one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma. Ghetsis is also a sage, and he will convince people to liberate their pokémon through the eloquence of his words! The rest of us have been given tasks to move us towards our ultimate goal… Pokémon Liberation! So even if it requires some crimes to be committed… In the end it will all be for a greater good!"

Suddenly, a chopper appeared overhead, causing the trees to whip about violently. Black simply placed a hand on his hat so it wouldn't blow away. A ladder dropped down, the grunts scrambling up and beckoning for their sage to follow them.

"You, child." Gorm stared at Black. "What is your name?"

"… Hilbert." Black lied. The last thing he needed was these people looking up his name and getting information on him… Not that they would be able to.

"Well then, Hilbert." Gorm echoed his 'name' then spoke. "Know your enemies, know yourself, and fear not the result of a hundred battles. Whether you be a simple trainer or a formidable gym leader… Know that your meddling will not be tolerated. Let your friend there be an example. But for now,"

He grabbed onto the ladder, putting one foot on the bottom rung.

"We will retreat quietly."

With those words, the grunts began to pull him up as the helicopter took off. Black watched it go, still holding his hat on his head, then extending his other hand. Using his forefinger and his thumb, he made a mock gun towards the helicopter, and took aim.

"If only you weren't here, Hilda." he muttered under his breath, flicking his wrist as if he were really shooting at the helicopter as it flew away. Black knew he could have stopped them… But he wasn't going to do it in front of a conscious Hilda… Not yet.

Turning on his heel, he stared down at Hilda, nudging her foot slightly. Reflexes caused the limb to recoil, so she was alive… At least. As he reached out to move her, however, a jolt ran up his arm.

Moving his gaze, he saw Blitzle standing threateningly. Petilil was flitting around Hilda, and Dewott was looking ready for a fight. Eevee simply sat near Hilda's head, his gaze serious and holding warning as he locked eyes with Black.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Black crossed his arms, glancing at all three pokémon. He didn't get a response, though Eevee's tail ceased it's wagging and Blitzle's fur bristled. He let out a dry chuckle, casually placing his hands in his pockets. "Very smart pokémon you have there, Hilda."

Then, he took out his X-transceiver and began to dial.

"Yes, I need an ambulance. My friend got attacked by a Scolcipede in Pinwheel Forest. We're right at the edge, just off Skyarrow Bridge. Please move quickly. She's unconscious, it looks really bad, and her pokémon won't let me near her. Please, just..."

He trailed off, unsure where he was going with that next sentence. He inhaled for a moment, then closed his eyes, speaking.

"Just hurry."

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f), Blitzle(f)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m), Litwik(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Pansear(f), Siesmitoad(m), Ferrothorn(f)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m), Cottenee(m)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I'm not gonna lie, I'm honestly a little disappointed about Ultra Sun and Moon, at least from a story telling perspective. They made it out like we were getting a whole new, alternate story… I was expecting BW2 levels of story changes, but this just isn't that. So my Sun Moon story is probably going to be based off of Ultra Sun and Moon…**

 **But besides that point, I did not like the climax with Necrozma. I thought it was cool and looked pretty… But they completely cut out what made the climax of Sun and Moon good… And that was Lillie's confrontation with Lusamine in the Ultra World. Plus, I very much disliked the "change" in Lusamine. Simply put, for those who haven't played the game, they almost made her into an egotistical, self-rightous person who thought she could save the world. I like the Sun and Moon version of her being a selfish, egotistical woman who only "loves" those she thinks is worthy of her "love".**

 **From my perspective, Sun and Moon's story was never about the main protagonist being a hero… It was about Lillie blooming into a strong, independent trainer, free from her mother's puppet strings.**

 **Maybe I'm being overly critical. I liked SOME portions of Ultra Sun and Moon… But I'm definitely going to put those into a Sun and Moon based story, rather than putting Sun and Moon portions I liked in a Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon based story.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	14. Hospital Visits

**I don't really know what to say, I'm just gonna write.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _It's okay. It's okay. Everything'll be fine. You know it will be o-_

 ** _You have a responsibility._**

 ** _You have one job._**

 ** _And you fail. You always fail._**

 _No, think logically about this, nothing you could have done would have-_

 ** _FAILURE. You failed. You failed. You failed._**

 ** _You don't deserve the feeling of triumph, because all you do is FAIL._**

o.0.o.0.o

 _Why… Can I never…?_

o.0.o.0.o

Lisa let out a long sigh as she approached Nuemva Town. It was barely cusping dawn, the sun just barely rising over the horizon as she trudged her way home. Though normally more spritely than normal, life has been very quiet in the small town since Hilda, Bianca, and Cheren left.

Well, as quiet as it can be with Bianca's father practically trying to plow down her door, demanding where his daughter was. She kept giving him the same answer, over and over… She didn't know and she wouldn't tell him if she did.

Honestly, she always believed in patience and perhaps a bit of passive aggressive revenge when it counted… So far, it kept the three families at a semi-stable peace. But now that all their kids were gone, and Bianca missing without explanation Josiah was going on a rampage trying to find her and bring her home. Problem was… He knew that if he tried to bother Charlotte, she'd slam down the legal hammer for harassment in a heartbeat.

So since he couldn't bother Cheren's family, all he had left was to bother her. And while frustrating, it wasn't like he had a lot of time to do so. Most of the time she was working or sleeping… Though his constant summons was starting to interrupt that little bit of sleep she did get. Plus, she didn't even have her snippy daughter to snap back at him! At least when Bianca's father was being as ridiculous as he is now, she had Hilda to act as a sarcastic, sassy buffer…

As she neared her house, she already heard yelling. Sighing, she lifted her tired gaze to Cheren's house, expecting to see Charlotte screaming in her "legal tone" at Josiah, with her husband obsessively cleaning anything he could in their house… As Lawrence often does when he is nervous or stressed.

But surprisingly, all seemed calm. She could see both Charlotte and Lawrence calmly drinking coffee in their kitchen, both having always been natural, early-risers. Lawrence saw her through the window, and waved his hand. Charlotte also glanced up, and gave her a brief nod. Lisa waved back, then continued forward, towards her house. She just kept her head down as she went to her mailbox. Josiah was probably yelling at her house, trying to get her up to get information out of her. Flicking through the envelopes, she saw some bills, a child support check, and an additional check from her janitorial work in the pokémon center. But then, there was another envelope, marked with her address, and labeled simply 'Mom'.

"Oh, Hilda…" Lisa whispered her daughter's name as she peeled it open, seeing several bills and a note.

 _It's not much, but it's something. Don't bother trying to send it back, 'cause I'll send double next time!_

Lisa chuckled, folding the note back into the envelope. It would have been a most touching moment… If Josiah's screaming hadn't cut it off. As she anticipated, Josiah was there, screaming… But in the face of a man she recognized.

His hair was long and there was stubble across his chin and jaw. He was dressed simply, wearing jeans and a black jacket over a white t-shirt with black boots. Surprisingly, the outfit was reminiscent of Hilda's, which almost made her want to laugh… If it weren't for the fact that Josiah was screaming in his face while he seemed completely confused.

"Gray!" she rushed forward, pushing Gray back as Josiah continued spitting insults. "Gray, what are you doing in Unova?"

"I came to see Hilda off!" Gray exclaimed, pushing some of his long hair off his forehead in confusion. "I heard that she got her license so I came as fast as I could! Is she like me? Is she sleeping still? And speaking of which, why are you up, Lisa?"

"I just got off work in Accumula!" she responded, giving him a friendly hug. "It's been such a long time!"

"It has!" Gray grinned, then glanced at Josiah. "So what's with this guy?"

"Just…" Lisa sighed, glancing at Josiah. "Exhausting."

Josiah sneered at the answer. He then turned to Gray.

"And him?"

"This is Gray. He's been traveling for a while on his own pokémon training journey-"

"And the proud father of Hilda!" Gray grinned, crossing his arms with a big, proud smile. Josiah's mouth opened for a moment, then he scowled.

"So you're the moron who contributed to the making of that unbearable child." he muttered. "Personally, I don't blame you for leaving. But I also have to blame you for never properly disciplining your child and subsequently having her taint my Bianca with ridiculous ideas of adventure!"

"Josiah!" Lisa couldn't help but exclaim, glancing over at Gray, who had an obvious look of hurt on his face. Pouting for only a moment, he sighed, then turned to her.

"This guy is an asshole!" he proclaimed, then turned on his heel and walked towards the house to turn the knob, only for it to not open due to it being locked. He then glanced over his shoulder, still pouting. "Lisa…"

"Just go home, Josiah." Lisa sighed. "I don't know why you're even bothering me, you're not going to get a different answer."

With that, she unlocked the door, and invited Gray into her home. Gray subsequently sat down on the couch, crossing his arms and still clearly upset. Sighing, she sat across from him.

"Stop that pouting, Gray. You had your reasons, and Hilda turned out fine. Josiah is always saying things like that."

"It doesn't make the feeling any less sucky." Gray sighed, putting his head in his hands. "Where is Hilda, anyways? I haven't seen her since she was a tyke."

"… She, um, left on her journey." Lisa answered slowly. "She left a couple of weeks ago."

Gray stared at her wide-eyed, then bowed over, putting his head in his hands.

"Of all the… Arceus, I am a shitty father…" he groaned. "How could I have not seen her off?! That's, like, a staple in her life and I missed it!"

"Hilda knew she was in your heart." Lisa smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Even when you were an entire ocean away, you still tried to be there for her…"

And tried he did. Even if he tried to hide it, she had a feeling that Gray would often send all he had in order to support them. Though both she and Hilda didn't care either way whether or not they had new, up-to-date things, Gray often went out of his way to save up his money and send elaborate gifts every few years. The flat-TV and game console in Hilda's room were two examples, as well as the additional, small box TV that sat in the kitchen, and the X-transceivers. When he had the chance to call, or she got lucky and he answered his phone, should he so much as sensed a bit of distress in her voice, he immediately transferred funds into their still joint account, despite never being married.

Physically, he was never here to raise Hilda, but Hilda knew very well that he was not a bad man. She had accepted long ago that she may never have a chance to meet her father again… After all, the last time she saw him was when she was still small, to small to clearly remember. But she was aware he would always be there to get them out of any trouble, and supported her in her endeavor to become a trainer. Again, going way out of his way to somehow obtain an Eevee, which from what she understood was _extremely_ rare in some countries…

But still, even if the romance has long passed between them, Lisa still treated him as a friend, something both she and her daughter prided themselves on. One to many times she's heard horror stories of custody battles and child support… But Gray knew what he wanted to do, and that is was wrong of him to not want to be there for her or his daughter. So in a sense, he agreed to every term.

She knew some may look upon it as odd, but Gray was much like Hilda; incapable of lying. So when he said that they were 'just friends who had a kid', he sincerely meant it.

And Lisa one hundred percent agreed.

"She'll appreciate your visit. We'll just call her on this X-tranciever…" Lisa held up her wrist, beginning to flick through her contacts for her daughters number. Her daughter was like her father in many ways. Similar clothing styles, similar hair color, similar, foul tongue… If this pattern proved true, Hilda would also be unable to see a surprise coming.

As she smiled at the thought, her device suddenly rang. Curious, as it was not a familiar number, she contemplated answering it.

"Could it be a spam?" Gray, asked, glancing at it. Gray suddenly startled. "Oh, crap! This thing didn't butt dial you, did it?"

Scrambling for his pokégear, he let out a cry of frustration as the old thing refused to load up.

"I don't think it can do that without it being on…" Lisa chastised gently, then she answered the call. On the screen appeared a man wearing a tie and glasses. Cocking her head, as she was sure she didn't know this man, she hesitantly spoke.

"Hello?"

"Is this Lisa White, mother and guardian of Hilda White?" the man asked immediately, completely business-like, no hesitation.

"Yes, this is she." Lisa felt her eyebrow quirk upwards, staring at him in confusion. "… What's going on?"

"I regret to inform you that your daughter, Hilda White, as been admitted to Castelia General Hospital for poisoning. Details are vague, but we suggest you and any other significant family members travel here immediately in case things go… bad."

With that, his business said and done, he hung up. Lisa simply stared at the hand up screen until it slowly faded to black. Then, it just slipped from her fingers as she trembled.

"Lisa? Hey, Lisa!" Gray was shaking her shoulders as she trembled. "C'mon, get it together! Hilda's a tough cookie, right?! Where's Castelia? I'll get us there quick!"

"Castelia's almost a month long travel on foot, I-I'll never get there in time!"

"Who said we were going on foot?" Gray practically dragged her out of the house, then threw a pokéball in the air. There, a huge pokémon with wings that looked like leaves. The pokémon let out a low groan, looking at her. Gray patted the pokémon on the side. "Tropius, this is Lisa. We're in Unova right now, and she's gonna give us some directions."

Gray expertly jumped onto the pokémon's back, and Tropius lowered it's wing to allow her to clamor on.

"Lisa!" Lisa scowled in spite of herself as Josiah called her name. "What in blazes are you doing?! Don't think you're going to run without answering my questions!"

" _HEY, F*CKER!"_ Gray shouted, flipping the bird as he tugged her on with his hand. "Our daughter just got committed to Castelia General! So kindly go to hell!"

And with that, they took to the air.

o.0.o.0.o

Cheren had just managed to catch up to Bianca as they reached the next check pass that connected the Skyarrow Bridge to Castelia. At that point, she was so excited that she was about ready to wander into the street, and when he grabbed her arm, she didn't even flinched. Just grinned at him and greeted him with a smile.

"No self-awareness, per usual." Cheren sighed, adjusting his glasses. "What if I were a stranger, trying to hurt or kidnap you? You are the daughter of a significantly wealthy steel company manufacturer and owner. It would be easy to use you as a means to an end in order to obtain a substantial amount of wealth…"

And based on his own mother's reports of Bianca's father continually harassing Hilda's mother and his own family… No doubt and without question, he would easily pay any amount for his daughter back, even if it was to despicable thugs.

"No way, I'll be fine!" Bianca clenched her fists in determination. "I made it this far on my own, and plus I have my pokémon with me! Plus I won two gym badges, albeit, that second time on my own took more than one try…"

She gripped the strap of her purse, her two gym badges glimmering off the fringe on the green bag.

"If I get stronger and stronger still, Daddy's gotta recognize I can handle things on my own!"

Cheren had to admire her confidence, but his mother spoke of one to many cases involving controlling people like him… And they just don't change that easily.

"Castelia is a large city, Bianca." Cheren chastised gently. "It's not Nuemva, or even Accumula. It's riddled with who know's what…"

He trailed off as Bianca was already starting forward, swinging her arms and humming. Sighing slightly, as he was used to looking after Bianca, he rushed to catch up to her.

"Bianca," he said her name clearly, trying to catch her attention. "Is there anything you want to do here in particular?"

"Geez, I don't even know!" Bianca's eyes lit up, sparkling. "This place is so big, I wouldn't know what to do and where!"

"Then perhaps I-" Cheren spoke up, nervously readjusting his glasses, when a pop song suddenly rang out from Bianca's wrist, alongside his own default ring-tone coming from his own. Bianca startled, answering immediately.

"You should really change that ringtone of yours." Bianca commented offhandedly, holding her wrist aloft, but speaking to him. Cheren himself answered his X-transceiver, rolling his eyes.

"I hardly see the point, but I'll look into it." glancing at his wrist, he parted his lips in surprise. "Black?"

Honestly, he didn't expect that. Not once had Black called them or made an open attempt to contact them, even when they spotted each other. Bianca almost always was the first to communicate with him, and she often called Cheren when Black didn't answer, worrying and griping and hoping he was okay.

"Black!" Bianca smiled, cheeks dusted pink as she stared at the screen. Cheren clenched his other fist tightly. It was… truly frustrating, talking to or about Black now. "You finally called me back!"

"Hilda's in the hospital."

Suddenly, every emotion of resentment towards Black flew out the window, eyes widening and lips parting as he stared at the screen. Bianca immediately spoke.

"What?" Bianca shook her head. "Come on, Hilda's tough. She'll be okay, won't she?"

"… Things are a bit grim. She… A Scolcipede..." Black trailed off as his adam's apple bobbed, as if struggling to speak. His face was blank, lips pursed as he closed his eyes. "She's in Castelia General Hospital."

Then, he hung up.

"Oh my Arceus…" Bianca whispered, immediately redialing. It rung until it went straight to voicemail. "No! Black, c'mon, of all times to not answer…!"

Cheren himself couldn't hide his own worry. If Hilda got into a fight with a Scolcipede… That's one of the most dangerous pokémon in Unova. It's poison was severely lethal, which is why it was such a threat and there were containment areas in the forest that trainers weren't allowed to enter…

Bianca was crying at this point, as this was the fourth time she redailed Black's number and he didn't answer.

"Bianca, come on," Cheren grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him as he moved towards a giant map, a slightly shaking finger tracing along the map as he struggled to find Castelia General.

o.0.o.0.o

Black was staring straight ahead in the waiting room, subconsciously rubbing his thumb and forefinger together as he struggled to keep his focus. His X-transceiver was off, waiting for a reason to leave. However, he couldn't.

At this point, he was the only one they had to report anything too, and they weren't going to let him leave until a responsible adult showed up. He called all the people he could at this point. Cheren and Bianca, the professor… The only person he couldn't get in contact with was her parents, but the doctors said they had that covered.

It's already been a day and a half…

His X-transceiver vibrated against his wrist again, and he ignored it. It was probably Bianca or Cheren or the professor… He was tired, very tired. Trying to contact them while the doctors were making sure he was fine was exhausting, and for the first time in a long time, he dropped his little act and just bowed his head in his arms, resting against the table.

… He just couldn't understand it. He could get a reason to leave this place. It was a simple as a phone call. He wasn't obligated to stay here and make sure family and friends got here before something bad happened. He didn't remotely care about Hilda as a person. If nothing else, he positively _loathed_ how stubborn and loud she was. To a certain extent, she was like a pet. Entertaining, but bothersome after some time… Even more so when she snapped and hit him.

She got herself into this mess with Scolcipede. She arrogantly challenged Gorm without considering his strength. If nothing else, a good beating was probably in order to knock that arrogance down a few pegs.

So why bother to stick around?

"Pull yourself together," Black ran his hands down his face as he tried to get himself together. He clasped his hands together, and exhaled deeply. "You've got your pride, dammit. You've got to make her crack by the deadline or you're going to become a laughing stock."

Suddenly, a thought occurred.

Standing up, he walked towards a passing nurse that he knew worked in Hilda's unit. Tapping her shoulder, he smiled up at her.

"Would you mind doing me a small favor?"

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda felt like her head was coming out of a complete fog, her mind slowly waking up before her eyelids did. People were talking around her, but she was to tired to focus entirely on what they were saying. Nonetheless, she forced her eyes open, everything blurry for a few moments, then coming into focus.

Forcing her head up, she immediately cringed. She felt nauseous and her hair was out of her ponytail. She hated her hair out and about… It was such a damn pain to untangle.

Her stomach lurched, and she struggled to sit up.

"Bucket." she croaked, her voice hoarse as she slammed her hand against a railing on her bed. Someone shoved a small trash bin under her face as she pathetically dry heaved into the plastic lining. Once it passed, she flopped back on the pillows, groaning.

When in Arceus's name did she eat last?

"Hilda?!" the desperate voice echoed to her left as she tried to force her stomach to settle down. Cracking open her eyes, she saw her own mother, tightly gripping her hand as tears streaked down her cheeks. There were obvious dark circles under her eyes, and her eyelids were swollen. The white's of her eyes were tinged with read, and Hilda could feel the trembling in her hand.

"Son of a bitch." Hilda groaned, immediately feeling guilty. "Mom, don't cry…"

"You got attacked by a Scolcipede, kid." a familiar, but unfamiliar voice, echoed from above her mother. Hilda's gaze drifted up, seeing a long-haired, somewhat raggedy-looking man with his hands in his jeans pockets. His expression was gentle, but his form was tense, as if he felt awkward. "Uh, hey…"

She didn't answer him, eyes flicking back to her mother.

"Hilda, if your friend didn't show up when he did, that poison would have killed you." her mother's voice was shaking, and the tears kept streaking down, but she sounded positively relieved. She bowed her head, touching her forehead to the top of her knuckles. "Oh, I just don't know what I would've done if you died…!"

"Mom…" Hilda could feel herself choking up, struggling to keep everything together. "Hey, my friend? Did Cheren find me or something?"

"That… Would have been me."

Another familiar face popped up behind her mother, and she saw Black. His face was morphed into something akin to concern… But she was to tired to analyze his eyes. She didn't believe that concern for a second, but she just wanted her mom to feel okay.

"I'm gonna be okay." Hilda muttered, squeezing her mother's hand. "Don't cry."

"I'm just so relieved…" her mother smiled a watery smile, lifting her head. "Please, by the love of all things good in this world, don't ever do this to me every again!"

"I had too…" Hilda closed her eyes. "Blitzle is just so stubborn, she refused to back down. That thing would've ripped her to shreds…"

"And you were a better option?" the familiar but unfamiliar man stared at her. Hilda cracked her eyes open at him, trying to place his familiarity.

"My Dad always told me pokémon were an extension of the family." Hilda grunted towards him. "I was protecting them."

The man didn't look the least bit surprised or insulted by her gruff response. Instead, he looked proud, smiling a gentle smile at her.

"That's my girl." he muttered softly.

"Speaking of Blitzle," she muttered, slowly glancing at Black, changing the subject to brush the man's comment off. "Where are my pokémon?"

"Nursing staff took them to a pokémon center." Black answered. "Cheren have been looking after them."

Well, if one thing was certain, Hilda now knew that the Traveller's Will laws were followed accordingly. Basically, the laws outlined what should happen to the property of a traveller should they die. Hilda knew all her money would go to her Mom, while her worldly possessions were to be devided between Biacna, Cheren, and her mother, and her pokémon had to be kept together under her mother, and if not her Mom, Cheren.

At this point, she assumed that the doctors put them under Cheren's care because he was the closest geographically at the moment.

"As far as he's kept us up to date," Black continued. "Your pokémon are fine. Worn out, but completely okay now."

"How long was I out for?"

"About three days."

Another voice entered the fray, this one completely new. Lifting her head slightly, Hilda saw a woman in scrubs walking in with a clipboard. Adjusting her glasses, she walked over to the IV in Hilda's arm, checking over some things and marking it down on her clipboard.

"You came in pretty severe condition. It wasn't so much that the poison was getting to you, but the wound on your back was making it all worse." she smiled down at her. "Do you recognize everyone in the room?"

"Mostly." Hilda glanced back at the unfamiliar man again. "This woman right here is my Mom, and over there is Black. No clue who that guy is, though."

"I'll tell you later." her mother spoke up, still stroking her hand. "I'm just so glad you're awake now."

"I'm going to get in contact with Cheren and Bianca." Black nodded once, then strode out the door. Hilda furrowed her brow. He was being… oddly considerate. Again, she couldn't place why, because as far as she thought… Everything he did was an act. So… was this a part of his act to look good in front of her Mom, or was he trying to show he gave a damn?

"You're very lucky." the nurse commented once he walked out. "Hey was by your bedside until your mother showed up. I would give an arm and a leg for such a wonderful boyfriend!"

Hilda jerked at that, glaring at the nurse as she walked towards the door.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she yelled. Then, she snapped her head to her mother. "Don't get any ideas, I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Good!" the man next to her mother nodded once. "I don't like that guy, he's strange!"

"Isn't he?!" Hilda grinned, glad to have someone who shared her opinion. Seeing no better opening, she continue to speak. "Hey, who are you, anyways?"

"Oh, well…" his gaze trailed to the ceiling, pursing his lips as he struggled to come with an answer. Then, he chuckled, grinning down at her mother. "Arceus, I feel really awkward. I shouldn't feel this way, but I haven't seen you since I left! You were only three then…"

Hilda furrowed her brow, glancing at her mother. She was quiet, closing her eyes, holding her hand in both of hers, contemplating.

"Hilda, there's no other way to really say this." she said slowly.

"Give it to me straight, Mom." Hilda encouraged. "You know I wouldn't want it any other way. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Ha! At one point, maybe." the man teased. Hilda gave him an odd glance, then her mother spoke again.

"This is your father, Hilda."

Hilda's eyes flew open, staring at the man with surprise. Her father was nothing but a blurry image in her head at this point, having really left the picture when she was three years old. The man… Her Dad held out his hand.

"You can call me Gray, if you want." he offered. "I don't expect you to call me 'Dad'."

o.0.o.0.o

Black was waiting around the corner for the nurse that had checked over Hilda earlier. She rounded the corner at a brisk pace, and stopped when she saw him, crossing her arms uncomfortably.

"You said what I asked you to, right?" he asked. The nurse nodded once.

"How did she react?" she asked.

"She was surprised. Very surprised. Then immediately began to deny that you were her boyfriend to her mother."

Black pursed his lips, contemplating those words. Of course, he didn't expect Hilda to contemplate his "actions". Her outright denial was expected… But even still, it didn't mean that Hilda wasn't contemplating them. Perhaps it just hasn't hit her mentally yet, and she'd start to change her tune once it did.

"Here you are, then." Black calmly passed her a roll of money, which she quickly unfurled and flicked through. Her eyes widened with each bill that passed through her fingers.

"This is way more than we agreed upon." she said, shooting him an odd glare.

"You don't appreciate my incentive for your silence and ignorance?" Black cocked his head.

Stiffly, the nurse turned on her heel and began to walk away.

o.0.o.0.o

 **Probably one of the shortest chapters I've written in a while, but it was just one of those things that needed to be put out there. Simply put, if I added everything that I had planned for this chapter into this chapter, it would have been exceptionally long. Plus, it was all I could manage with college finals approaching.**

 **So this one was short and sweet! Yay!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	15. Secondary Dexholders Enter the Scene

**Well, finals are officially over and I'm on winter break! Hopefully, I can start cranking out some Adventure Saga chapters!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara, and the Bennets.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

With a ticket to Unova being the equivalent to "a one way ticket to millions", trying to get a ticket to the so-called golden land was very difficult. And as Silver stared out the porthole, a small part of him understood why.

Simply put, Castelia City was a metropolis. He had been in particularly large cities before, but comparing Goldenrod to Castelia… Comparing Johto as a whole to Unova was like comparing a gym leader to a Champion. While both were impressive… Unova just seemed to stand as an metropolis of independence.

And it just showed. While Johto clung to their old-fashioned traditions and building styles, Unova flourished as a country that seemed set on leaving their past behind and forging forward. Even through a tiny porthole in a room he was sharing with Lyra and a married couple on their way to starting their life, he could see this.

It seems everyone wanted to dip their toes into a chance at success. Getting paperwork to train here was easy, they literally just needed to update their licenses to international licenses. But everyone was rushing to get here, and frustratingly, getting a plane ticket here was near impossible. So even if Silver tried to play his cards as "a dexholder on important business", he kept getting the same response, multiple boat trips, or waiting damn near a year for available plane seats.

So, despite Lyra insisting she could get them plane tickets and his own disagreements with water due to Vale's death, Silver wanted to get on his supposed lead on Mask as quickly as possible. So they got on a boat, stopped off in a small region comprised of islands closest to Unova, named Alola, then hopped on a boat as soon as it became available.

"Silver!" Lyra sang as she slammed open the door, bouncing on the heels of her feet with excitement. "I can see it! It's huge, and I think I saw cars _everywhere!"_

"Really…" Silver trailed off, again peering out the porthole.

Again, another huge difference that Silver would have to adjust to. In some regions, he's heard that there were environmental laws that prohibited average people from driving gasoline-fueled vehicles, Alola being one of them. In Johto and Kanto, while there were no laws prohibiting them from driving vehicles, people preferred bikes as a primary form of long-distance transportation. The only gasoline-powered vehicles that he knew of were law enforcement and life-saving vehicles, like fire trucks and ambulances. Outside of that, those who had the fundings would maybe get a cross-country RV or a jeep.

He felt his form tense as a sudden bout of realization hit him. It was a question that often haunted him at times when he least expected it, and now it was beginning to haunt his thoughts. Unova was the quote "melting pot" of this world. People from everywhere came to live and work here. How was he ever going to find a man who had no physical features in his head?

Mask was smart enough to change his identity from Mask to something else, but who? Who could he be? He could be anyone. Would he pull the same cards Silvers own father pulled, becoming a gym leader? Someone powerful politically? Someone influential? Where could he be?

"Hey, Silver…" Lyra settled next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. As if reading what he was thinking, she gave him a reassuring squeeze. "We'll find him. Sara and Looker are already here, remember? Mask will get what's due to him. He'll face his justice."

Silver clenched his fists tightly.

"I know this…" Silver muttered. "But I don't know how I'm going to _find him._ "

As he muttered this, a silence fell over the room. Lyra began to rub comforting circles on his back, holding his other hand as a form of comfort. Silver felt the tenseness ease in his shoulders slightly, though her touch didn't ease the chaos that was currently his mind.

Then, a whistle blew out, and the ship jerked to a stop. Silver lifted his head, realizing that they had docked. Had they been sitting here for that long…?

"Come on!" Lyra hopped up, still holding his hand, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I know that you want to be here on important business, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun doing so! Unova will be a nice pick-up in comparison to Johto, and we'll make some new pokémon friends too! It'll be great, great, great!"

Silver let out a sigh, then shook his hand free to reach for their bags under the bed. They were filled to the brim with supplies, as they were unsure how much things would cost in Unova, or how their much their Johtonese currency would be worth here.

Lyra was still chattering excitedly, but at this point, Silver was having trouble determining if she was laying it on thick to make him feel better, or if she was truly that excited to be in Unova. Either was an option, he had soon decided, or it could be a mix of both.

"Wait, Silver!" Lyra stopped abruptly, blocking the doorway. As she dug through her bag for a moment, then pulled out a hair tie and a brush. Silver blinked at the items in her hands, then gave her a flat look.

"What?"

"Remember what Sara and Looker said? We've gotta stay on the down-low! Which means a different appearance!"

"That's what you took it as." Silver shot back. "I think it was just an excuse to buy yourself something new, though."

"Nope! We're figures of recognition now, we've gotta look different so we don't draw attention to ourselves! So..." Lyra was insistent, advancing slightly. Silver wasn't so much of a coward to retreat, as he knew Lyra wasn't a threat, but he saw a mischievous glint in her eye. "Lemme see that hair!"

As she said that, she pounced, grappling to cover the height difference between them as he took a couple steps back to hold her weight. When she started to actually make progress, however Silver began to put up some resistance. Perhaps it was a lapse in judgement, but Lyra had a chance to play with his hair when he accidentally fell asleep before her. Before he knew it, he woke up with his hair in braids and Lyra insisting that she was going to make him look normal. Soon enough, his hair was in a ponytail, and ever since then, Lyra's been trying to get it back up like that.

He supposed she liked it when his long hair was up, but he, unfortunately did not particularly like his hair being in a ponytail, mostly because the tie annoyed him. It pulled at the roots of his hair and drove him nuts because one good gust of wind would send several strands falling into his face. That he found more annoying than when the wind blew his whole head in his face. At least when that happened, he could just push it all back and not have to worry about Lyra trying to yank his hair back again!

At this point, he wasn't even trying to overpower her, sort of letting Lyra think she was getting the upper hand… So he was surprised when he felt his legs hit the bed. Lyra took advantage of that, and threw her weight on him, forcing him to sit down. His hands were around her wrists, keeping that brush and hair tie away from his head. He was surprised further when Lyra began to actually push against his feigned strength.

Gripping her wrists a little tighter, he jerked himself to the left and rolled on top of her, pinning her down on the bed. She blinked at him, pouting in a rather adorable manner.

"Don't you think we've had enough of these mock fights for you to understand you're never going to-"

He cut himself off when the door clicked open. Scrambling, he abruptly shot up, letting out a shout as his head hit the top of the other bunk.

"Silver!" Lyra called out his name as he sat down, holding his head as the other couple entered the room. As he sat there, trying to hide his face so they couldn't see his outright embarrassment, he heard Lyra mutter something about him feeling seasick or something. It was a terrible lie, as he was fairly certain they had opened the door by the time his head bounced off the top bunk, but whatever. He'd never see them again and he didn't care.

He felt Lyra pulling his hair off his face, and for a moment, he thought that she was really getting into the act that he was seasick. Then he felt the brush run through his hair and with a few quick strokes and a snap, his hair was the way Lyra wanted it.

"I never thought I'd be the one getting manipulated in this relationship." Silver muttered, lifting his head, his bangs still over his forehead and few shorter strands of hair still framing his face. At least this time Lyra didn't try to pull his bangs back.

"It looks really good!" Lyra insisted. "Now let's get off of this boat before it takes off and we have to get another ride back here!"

o.0.o.0.o

Vale stared at the flashing lights that was Castelia City, hesitating near the route gate as she tried to take it all in. Truly, it was a glittering, glamorous metropolis unlike anything she's ever seen before. She had to take a moment to absorb all of it.

Slowly, she exhaled, and continued forward, keeping her head down, glancing up every so often so not to bump into the bustling people of this huge city. But even then, people still shoved her aside, giving her dirty looks when she got in their way. Ultimately, she got fed up with the overcrowded place, and decided to duck into a back ally.

For a moment, she glanced back at the ally's entrance. Like she wasn't even there, people continued on with their life. It was almost unsettling, how easily a person could disappear here and how few people would notice…

Letting out a sigh, she turned on her heel and continued down the ally. Quickly, she was beginning to realize how poor a mistake this was. While relatively abandoned, it reeked of smells that were simply unpleasant. Plus, she was seeing a few sketchy looking people that she chose to not make eye-contact with, and unknown piles of rubbish that she decided she wasn't going to identify.

She just kept her gaze forward, walking until she hit the light at the end of the ally. On the other side, she saw what was a stark contrast to the ally that she just exited. She was at the edge of what looked like a huge forest… but in the middle of a city...?

Hesitantly, she looked around, and slowly approached the edge of the forest, following the trees until she found a paved path. She entered the path, and followed it, seeing huge patches of grass within the trees, at one point, even passing a lake. Keeping her head down, she silently listened to the conversations around her, hearing the name Central Plaza and Central Park… Was this a park, then?

She lifted her head, staring in silent awe. Compared to the bustling city streets, this place was very tranquil. Yet in it's own way, it was still bustling with people laying out blankets and children playing while trainers held battles with each other. Just as she did before, she abruptly turned and ducked into the trees. She kept walking until she finally found a small, quiet clearing, completely void of any other people.

Finally, she felt a little bit at peace. Like no one could bother her here… Like Ghetsis couldn't send someone after her here or keep eyes on her here.

As she settled against a tree, feeling a little less tense… She suddenly jerked to attention as some bushes rustled.

Staring intently at the bush that was still moving, she watched until a pokémon came out of the bushes. She stared at it, and it stared back.

Like many of the pokémon she's come across in this region, it was completely foriegn. It is a yellow, bipedal, mustelid-like pokémon, with round ears, red eyes, and a pink nose with a whisker on each side. Its red arms look similar to flared sleeves, and the paws are yellow. It's chest has a small red band, and its pelt piles around its thighs resembling a tunic or robe. Its legs are red, and its yellow tail is also tipped red.

She slowly cocked her head, staring at it. Did she see this pokémon somewhere before? Maybe…?

It gave a rather odd response, clapping its paws together and bowing to her. Then, it began to to a series of flips and kicks, almost like it were fighting. When it finished, it bowed again, raising it's head to stare back at her. She blinked, unsure how to respond.

It let out a huff, then clapped its paws together and bowed to her again. Then, it rushed towards a tree and began to assault it with a series of super fast punches, finishing only when there was a significant bald spot on the tree. Again, it bowed towards her. However, before it could raise it's head, a plethora of apples toppled from the tree, piling on top of it.

At this Vale shot up, quickly crawling over to the pile and pushing aside apples until it's head appeared. Quickly, she began to move more apples until the rest of its body appeared. Hesitantly, she reached out towards its chest, assuming that was were its heart was, waiting. She felt the quick pitter-patter under her hand, which meant the pokémon was okay… Or at least, alive.

"You're an odd little guy…" she muttered. She made a move to pick him up, when she sensed someone behind her. As she turned, something green flashed in her vision, shoving her aside as she stood. "N!"

She shouted his name as he leapt back, carrying the pokémon in his arms. Cradling it, he shot her a dirty look.

"Don't touch her with your hands, Destroyer!" he shouted back accusingly, then turned on his heel and ran. Like an impulse, she immediately bolted after him, slightly angry with his scathing words, but not about to let him get away with that pokémon. She didn't understand why that pokémon acted the way it did, but if it was scared of her, then it wouldn't have gone out of it's way to… impress her?

She wasn't sure, but this was a two in one opportunity. She could try to converse with N again to convince him that things weren't what they seemed, and she could try to figure out that odd pokémon he ran off with.

Certainly, N was fast, faster than she expected. He was avoiding the main paths made for humans to walk on, instead darting around trees. Vale knew this method. He was trying to loose her. Unfortunately… he was underestimating her!

As they ran, they exited the forest near a parking lot meant for parkgoers. N practically vaulted himself over the wooden fence, and she clamored up on the first rung and swung her body over. She had to give it to N… If nothing else, his abilities were almost inhuman. Even when she had extensive training from Ghetsis, N moved with the ability of a pokémon…!

"N…!" she called his name as he continued to push and shove past the crowded street. N was looking about frantically, and Vale had a feeling she knew what he was looking for: an open area for him to get ahead of her. His eyes suddenly settled on the street, devoid of people, and Vale felt her entire stomach lurch. "Someone stop him! N, don't!"

Vale wasn't sure if her voice was lost of the bustle of the crowd, or N and the people around her chose to ignore her, but N darted out into the street. Vale just got to the edge, her head snapping up as a horn from a car blared. N completely froze, eyes wide like a pokémon in headlights as he stared at the car coming at him.

In a split second decision, Vale leapt out, full on tackling him out of the way as brakes screeched. People screamed as the car swerved to avoid them both, now at a diagonal angle with the sidewalk and where they landed.

"Are you insane?!" the man driving the car got out as traffic began to get backed up, so not to hit them and so the could readjust his car. "What sane human leaps out in the middle of traffic?!"

"I… I…" N was trembling as Vale rolled off him, slowly standing up. As she stood, she heard N whisper. "I wasn't supposed to do that…?"

"No, you weren't supposed to do that, you imbecile!" the man turned his attention on N, and N flinched back. "Not unless you have a death wish! And if you do, at least go throw yourself off a building so you don't kill half a dozen other people in a car wreck!"

"He's sorry!" Vale blurted, trying to smooth things over with him. She thought a mile a minute, then began to lay on her Johtonese accent a bit heavily. "He's really sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" the man snapped at her. "You should count yourselves lucky that no one got hurt!"

"Hey!" another angry driver decided to shout out the window. "Move! Some of us have places to be!"

A chorus of horns echoed with his proclamation.

"Leave us be." Vale bowed at the waist to the man. "We're sorry."

"… Tch." the man turned, damning bumpkin foreigners under his breath as he strode back to his car. "You, young man, should follow along with your girlfriend if you want to survive in this city!"

"Girlfriend?" N echoed as Vale turned, offering him a hand. He stubbornly looked away.

"Get out of the damn road!" a new voice shouted. N flinched, and then abruptly took her hand, letting her lead him back to the sidewalk and out of sight.

"… Are you okay, N?" Vale didn't look back at him, but made sure her voice was loud enough for him to hear.

"I'm…" N trailed off, shutting his mouth tightly as they tried to find a more quiet place to speak to each other civilly without the interruptions or eavesdropping of a dozen people rushing around them.

Finally, Vale managed to get them both into a the pokémon center. She guided N to sit in an adjacent cafe, then bought some water from a nearby vending machine.

"Here," Vale held out the bottle of water to him, but he ignored it, instead he was talking quickly to Mienfoo, completely ignoring her. After a minute of holding out the drink, she gave up and set it down in front of him, taking a seat across from him.

There was a painfully awkward, tense silence as N kept his gaze focused on the pokémon in his lap. It was conscious, glaring up at N shifting every so often.

"That pokémon looks familiar." she finally commented.

"That's because she was one of the pokémon in the Nacrene warehouse we last encountered each other in." N muttered quickly.

"I see." Vale responded. "So do you have any insight on why she decided to show me her fighting techniques in the park?"

N didn't respond.

"What kind of pokémon is she?"

"… Do you mean what she is?" N questioned, cocking his head. Vale nodded. "She's called Mienfoo. Mienfoo are fighting type pokémon that tend to seclude themselves with their packs or devote themselves to a strong leader. They're skillful in combo attacks. This one in particular,"

N glanced down at her.

"… Was trying to find a new pack."

Mienfoo shifted slightly. N muttered something under his breath to her, and the pokémon was quiet. Slowly, N, lifted his gaze back to her, gaze confused and slightly accusatory.

"Mienfoo typically try to prove their strength to who they think is strong and want to be their pack leader. So what Mienfoo was doing was trying to prove herself to you. Why she would want you to be-"

Suddenly, Mienfoo kicked off N's chest and landed in the middle of the table. N rubbed the spot where she kicked off, but didn't look angry as he lifted his head to Mienfoo. Mienfoo began to growl and bark at N, and N widened his eyes at every word.

"But she-"

Mienfoo cut him off, and N listened. It took Vale a moment, and then she realized that he was… talking to the pokémon. She rested her chin on her hand, fascinated by the interaction. She always had this odd feeling that N had the ability to communicate easily with pokémon, but with the way his face shifted with everything Mienfoo said, it was as if he truly understood what she was saying. Never once did his expression look lost or confused. He nodded with understanding… He _knew_ what Mienfoo was saying.

… But how would Mask manipulate such an ability? Vale knew that the Triad and herself could be useful for him. After all, the triplet ninjas were easily able to kill, kidnap, or hurt anyone without being seen. And she acted exactly as she was planned to, a pillar of destruction, meant to be feared. But if Ghetsis wanted to dominate the world around him, how would a boy who could speak to pokémon help him? The only way that she could think of would be if he could manipulate N into using pokémon as weapons… But N would never do that. He had always come across as a person who strongly fought for a pokémons rights. Even under Mask's manipulation, she couldn't imagine him ordering a pokémon as a weapon…

She couldn't understand it. Ghetsis did not just indiscriminately collect kids or members, he had a purpose for everyone. N was supposedly Ghetsis's own son, and even then, Vale doubted Ghetsis would just let him frolic freely. If so, why would he try to show and convince N how she was an enemy?

"But she's a bad-"

Mienfoo cut N's words off with a low growl. N flinched looking down.

"Well, yes, she did just shove me out of the way of a moving vehicle, and got me out of being yelled at…"

N closed his eyes, muttering something to quickly for her to catch. Then, he looked up at her, furrowing his brow in complete confusion. Vale leaned back in her chair.

"Have you reached some sort of conclusion, N?"

"… Mienfoo is trying to impress you so she can become a part of your pack."

"… Really." Vale stared at Mienfoo. Mienfoo turned back to her, clapping her paws together like before, and bowing to her. Vale had a small smile on her face, absolutely amused by this odd little pokémon. "I don't see why not. If you followed me all the way from Nacrene, I don't think I'll be shaking you off so easily."

Mienfoo snapped her head up with sparkles in her eyes, leaping at her and latching onto her face. As Vale reached up to pry her off, Mienfoo held both her cheeks between her paws, bracing her legs on her shoulders, and abruptly smacked her head against Vale's forehead.

"Gah-!" Vale honestly didn't intend for the shout to be that loud, but the actions was absolutely unexpected. Mienfoo didn't seem to mind, however, settling herself on Vale's shoulder with a grin. She growled something at N, and then there was a sound that Vale never expected to hear.

N was chuckling, then he was laughing. Vale lifted her head, and saw his shoulders shaking as he continued to laugh.

"So you're claiming your new master is wonderful and you're going to prove that to me?"

It took Vale a minute to realize he was talking to Mienfoo, and not to her. Mienfoo growled something to him, grinning happily.

"Well, then. I look forward to your continued endeavors, Mienfoo."

With those words, N reached across the table and patted Mienfoo on the head. Suddenly, Vale felt her heart skip a beat with realization. Out of the corner of her eye, she stared at Mienfoo, N's hand gently tousling the fur on her head. N's expression was gentle, a small smile on his face as Mienfoo allowed him to pet her. Could this odd little pokémon be the overall key to finally getting N to see the light...?

As her thoughts trailed off, the doors to the cafe opened, catching Vale's attention. Her stomach immediately dropped as she saw who walked through the door.

It was a boy and a girl, both about sixteen or seventeen years of age.

The girl was wearing a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, with a small red boy tied at the collar while she wore overall-like shorts with thing strings tied over her shoulders. She had a series of red, gold, and brown bands jingling on one of her wrists, with beige legwarmers around her calves and tan boots decorated with fringe and small tie with red beads on the end. Her hair was tied into pigtails, red ribbons tied at the base with a tan newsboy cap on her head.

Her male companion was wearing a darker ensemble, a black jacket with gray cuffs and gray accents along the seams. His jeans were so dark they could be mistaken as black, with intimidating black boots on his feet. His jacket hung past his hips, open and revealing a black shirt with a loose collar. But what had immediately caught her eye was his bright red hair, pulled back in a ponytail.

 _Why on earth is Lyra and Silver here…?!_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda was to shocked to even reach out to grasp her father's hand, instead sitting there, staring at him with the most dumbfounded look on her face. Awkwardly, his hand drifted to his side, glancing between her and her mother.

"Lisa, would you mind giving Hilda and I a few minutes to catch up?" he asked nervously. Her Mom wiped her eyes, then nodded.

"That's fine." her Mom stood, going towards the door. "I'll go wait in the lobby for Cheren and Bianca. They've been so worried, I'm sure they'll both be overjoyed to know you're okay."

Hilda's mother lingered on her for one last moment, then she turned and left the room. Her father was bouncing his leg nervously, staring at her, then glancing away. Then, he opened his mouth to speak.

"So I know you know why I wasn't around much when you were growing up." he began to explain quickly. "And a part of it had to do that we were irresponsible and stupid and I wasn't ready to settle down yet. I had a lot of things I needed to see and do, but I want you to know that even if I wasn't ever there, I tried my best to support you and I never thought of you as a mistake, ever."

"What asshole put that idea in your head?" Hilda demanded. Her Dad looked surprised.

"Don't most kids of separated parents feel that way?" he asked, cocking his head. "I was absent for your entire life, Hilda… Don't you resent me?"

"Hell no!" Hilda snapped at him. "I missed you and wished you were around, but it was always great when you called and sent stuff to help me and Mom! I know you were trying your best!"

She struggled to sit up, wishing she had asked her Mom or a nurse or someone to do this because it was a damn pain doing so on her own. Eventually, she was resting against the wall, holding out her arms.

"Now give me a hug, dammit!" she snapped at him. "I haven't seen you in thirteen years and I wanna give you a hug!"

Her father was all to happy to reciprocate the happy feelings. His shoulders were shaking as he muttered apologies.

"Oh, hell, are you crying?" Hilda pulled back analyzing him, then she laughed. "You are! You totally are! Seriously, don't cry! This is a reunion, even if it's under rather unhappy circumstances! No sit down and tell me what you've been doing while you were gone!"

"Well, actually…" her Dad sat down, twiddling his thumbs. "Hilda, I came back for more than just talking about what I was doing on my travels. I wanted to see you off on your journey. It was a big, huge thing for a kid you age… And I missed it. So I'm really sorry about that."

"Stop apologizing, I don't care that much. You did your best and you tried to be responsible for us." Hilda brushed the statement off. "All that matters is that you're here now. So what's on your mind? Probably a lot of things considering I'm a teenager now. But I want to know a lot about you too, so go ahead. Ask whatever you want."

"I wanted to ask you if you inherited… let's call it a family trait?"

"Well, shoot. What's the trait?"

"Well, I call it the see-all tell-all gene." her Dad chuckled slightly, as if it were a silly name. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Basically, on my side of the family, we have a lot of trouble with lying. Like, we're mentally incapable of doing so. But on the flipside, we can see through any lie… Or at least have a heightened awareness towards people who lie. Does that make sense, Hilda?"

"I got that from you?" Hilda felt her eyebrow quirk as she stared at him. "It's… a _gene?"_

"So you do have it." she couldn't place the emotions in her father's voice at the time. He glanced at her with a smile. "I wouldn't call it a gene, really… But somehow, one of us always gets it and I was wondering if you got it this time around too."

"… Okay, then." Hilda responded slowly.

She had no clue what he was trying to say with that, but she didn't really care. Her Dad was here, and she honestly did wanna spend some time with him. But her inability to tell a lie and overwhelming ability to always know the truth… Well, at least now she knew she apparently got it from him.

"Um, is anyone aware that you have this?"

"I mean, my Mom and my friends make jokes about my inability to lie all the time, but it's not like they know some big bad secret, you know?" Hilda shrugged. "Is it a something I should keep secret?"

"Just don't speak openly of it, okay?" her Dad gave her a rather serious look. "'Cause some people might take advantage of people with strange abilities, so you shouldn't go around bragging about it."

Hilda let that sink in, wondering what moron would want to try to take advantage of someone who couldn't tell a lie. But then again, she could see how someone being able to always sense a lie or secret could be useful…

"So does the ability to talk to pokémon run in the family?" Hilda asked in a joking manner, hoping her Dad would laugh along. Instead, he fixed her with a rather serious look. Hilda suddenly had a very odd feeling that maybe she shouldn't have said that, so she crossed her arms and shot him a look.

The silence was tense and heavy, a complete one-eighty from the joking, warm manner that the reunion brought. As the were practically locked in a stare off, they were thankfully saved by the sound of an over-excited voice bumbling into her room.

"Hilda, you're awake!"

Bianca's voice was punctuated with sobs as she threw her arms around her. In the doorway, her mother had an amused smile and Cheren looked both relieved and embarrassed as he glanced between Bianca and herself.

Suddenly, there were four pops from the familiar pink bag over Bianca's shoulders, and she was greeted with a plethora of other familiar voices, welcoming her back and thanking everyone they could think of that she was okay.

o.0.o.0.o

Lyra and Silver's voices drifted over the quiet little cafe. Immediately, Vale bowed her head, fingers trembling slightly as she struggled to think of what to do. Silver and Lyra were here. Not only where they in Unova, but they were right in front of her…!

She had decided to allow people to assume she was dead for the sole purpose of chasing down her past. She wanted to take the eternity that death would offer her and use that time to free N from Ghetsis as well as revealing what he was truly like to the whole world. With that, she had hoped to figure out who she was before Ghetsis came into her life, wanting desperately to know where she was from and why she never remember anyone significant in her life before Ghetsis.

On top of that, she was Silver's _only_ remaining connection to Ghetsis and his prior organization… She had hoped that the death would offer him a chance to let his past go and move forward as a better person…

Why on earth were they in Unova?! What could have possessed them to come here…?! Unless it was all coincidence, the only other reason she could think of was that Silver had made a similar assumption to her: Unova was an independent metropolis that waved it's success over the heads of all other countries. If Ghetsis took down Unova, it would only be a matter of time before other countries fell to his will, one by one.

She glanced at N, making direct eye contact. He shifted, quickly averting his gaze. What if Silver somehow managed to contact N? She feared N would crack under Silver's pressure… Or Silver found out who his father is. Silver would not be so forgiving if he found out about N's relation to Ghetsis. He wouldn't try to rehabilitate N or convince him otherwise, Silver would lash out and hurt him… If Silver was truly here to continue the toppling of Ghetsis's organization and ultimately seek vengeance on her 'death'.

As if realizing that she was staring, Silver turned to look at them. His eyes widened a fraction.

"N," she whispered, purely desperate at this point. "N, you need to help me."

"Why sh-"

"Because I tackled you out of the way of a moving vehicle." she muttered, standing and grabbing his arm. She wasn't sure if she pulled him up or he got up willingly, but she needed to get out of here, and hope that Silver just assumed that she was someone who looked like Vale. "Come on."

Grasping his arm, she exited the cafe and practically speed-walked out the door.

"What's going on?" N asked as she tried to get them lost in the throng of people. N's huge ponytail was going to prove to be a hard ting to hide, but if she could just shake Silver off…

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Silver stepping out of the pokémon center, looking around. His eyes shot in her direction, and she brought her gaze back around. She glanced at N, and saw he was staring back at Silver also.

"Keep your head forward." she muttered to him.

"The boy with the red hair…?" N muttered, glancing down at her with a questioning look. Vale nodded, not sure how to make it clear that N should avoid Silver. She wanted to be as open and honest with him as possible… Clenching her fists, she began to think.

… But N beat her to it.

"Isn't he one of those 'pokédex holders'?" he asked. Vale nodded once, and suddenly, N was gripping her arm, pulling her along.

"N?"

"… Father told me that they're dangerous." N muttered quickly.

Vale didn't say anything. She knew that the dexholders weren't dangerous, they were held at the esteem of heroes of justice and righteousness. But if she thought about it, she could understand why N thought that and why Ghetsis instilled that in him. The pokédex requires an owner to capture many pokémon in order to complete it. N must view them as enslavers or something of the sort… And Ghetsis was using that to paint them as the enemy.

At this point, she was honestly thankful for that one manipulation of Ghetsis's. It meant she wasn't going to have to lie to him about the dex holders. It also meant that N may avoid them out of his own volition, so she wouldn't have to worry about Silver ever making the connection that N was Ghetsis's son.

Abruptly, N yanked her down a side street. Again, he glanced over his shoulder. Vale looked as well, and saw a flash of red hair. Silver looked ready to break into a run.

"N, if you see where all those people are gathered up ahead?" Vale instructed carefully, seeing a crosswalk. "When the sign at the other end goes from a red hand to a white person walking, run."

N nodded once, and Vale reached up to wrap her arm around Mienfoo, so not to loose her when they ran. They began to shove their way to the front, and Vale glanced back, spotting Silver's red hair, pushing himself closer and towards them. Then, N yanked on her arm, and when she looked forward, it was time to cross. They both shoved past the last few people blocking their way, bolting across the street in a desperate attempt to find a place to hide.

Looking around for a place to hide, people moved around them, adjusting to the new obstacle in the way of their daily life.

"We need to move…" Vale muttered, stepping forward.

"Wait, Silver, wait!" Vale flinched, daring another glance over her shoulder. Silver was desperately trying to look over the people blocking him, the tips of his red hair peeking over shoulders and around other people. He couldn't see them…

Just as he looked ready to shove his way and run into the street, a small hand reached out and grabbed his arm, holding him in place. A huge truck barreled past, and Vale yanked N down a nearby ally, smaller than the one she had walked down before. They barely stood shoulder to shoulder as they shuffled down, against the brick walls and hoping that Silver wouldn't peek down such a crammed space for them. It was a poor hiding place… But a hiding place that had to work.

"Why is a dexholder after you?" N asked in a whisper as Vale peered out of the ally. "Are you in trouble?"

"… Not necessarily…" Vale muttered back. "… I can't be found. Not yet."

N was quiet, then shifted, moving so that he was sitting against the same wall as her, as if trying to hide her frame from the outside world. They sat there, carefully watching the sidewalk until they heard panting breaths of someone who was running.

Then, Silver stopped, looking around frantically for them. His ponytail whipped around his head as he turned his head.

"Silver! Silver, what was that?!"

Lyra suddenly caught up to him, catching his attention as she clung to his arm.

"You almost ran into the street! You could've gotten killed!"

"I thought I saw Vale." he said, his hands trembling with desperation as he gripped Lyra's shoulders. "I swear I thought I saw her…"

"Silver…" Lyra's voice was laced with sympathy, hugging him under his arms as a form of comfort.

Vale simply leaned against he wall, closing her eyes and suppressing her own shaking hand, praying that they would just leave. She didn't want to listen to them talk about her supposed death…

"… It's gonna be okay." Lyra continued. "You'll be like that for a while. Second guessing every tall girl that walks down the street, every woman with black hair… You'll think it's her."

"I know." Silver's voice sounded pained as he spoke. "I need to come to that realization… But I don't really think my head wants to yet."

"I know." Lyra's voice was comforting as she spoke, as if she were speaking from experience. "And it's gonna be tough… But that's why we're here. For closure."

"… Yeah." Silver's voice was quiet… almost haunted.

"Come on, let's go back to the center. We left our pokémon with the nurses so they could get their checkups. Then, we'll be free to travel in Unova. I'll get you something to drink and we'll go from there, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay."

Vale still didn't open her eyes, even when she was sure the two had walked away.

"… Am I really the only one who knows you're still alive, Vale?"

"The only one that I knew from Johto." Vale responded. "I didn't expect anyone to follow me here…"

"So they're not here because they're after you." N murmured. "Then who…?"

Before he could connect two and two, realizing they somehow figured out that it was Ghetsis hiding behind the mask, Vale quickly tried to cover for them.

"You heard it yourself, they aren't here to do anything. They're here to find closure…"

"But the dexholders are dangerous…" N muttered down at her.

"Not when they're on vacation." Vale said, standing up alongside him. "They're just on vacation, N. No threat, no problems."

"I… suppose." N let out a sigh, then turned striding back out of the ally.

Vale hurried after him, afraid to loose sight of him. There was a heavy silence as N seemed to be contemplating something, heading back towards the park in the center of the city. Then, N spoke.

"Vale, I want to make something clear."

Vale waited for the scathing remark about her being a traitor or her being a force of destruction, something N seemed to cling to when he wanted to shake her off.

"I want to make it perfectly clear that just because you are a girl and just because you were once my friend, it does not mean you are my 'girlfriend'."

Vale felt her mouth part, but before she could speak, N continued.

"That man that almost hit me back there incorrectly assumed such, and I wished I could have set him straight as well, but you dragged me away before I could."

Vale has never considered herself a happy person who laughed at the expense of others. For the record, she had very few things to even smile about, let alone to laugh about. So when this odd feeling of mirth, joy, and awe at N's own innocence all combined into one convoluted emotion…

She laughed, perhaps the first time in her life.

"What the…?" N narrowed his eyes at her in confusion. "Why are you laughing? I'm being very serious."

"N…" she said between gasps, reaching up and patting his shoulder. "Let me enjoy this, okay?"

o.0.o.0.o

 _Current Teams_

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f), Blitzle(f)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Tepig(m), Litwik(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Pansear(f), Siesmitoad(m), Ferrothorn(f)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m), Cottenee(m), Mienfoo(f)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I feel like that ending was a bit of a dud, but I didn't know how else to end Vale's and N's interaction… so you're getting a funny "Oh look, the boy who never had human interaction/is to innocent doesn't understand that girlfriend and girl who is a friend are two different things" joke.**

 **Now if you'll excuse me, I stayed up late exclusively for finishing this chapter, and I'm going to bed. Good night!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	16. Liberty Island

**I just feel like I've been rolling out chapters laterly, but focusing way to much on characters outside of our mains, Hilda and Black. So hopefully the chapter focusing on Hilda's parents and the last chapter focusing on Vale and N…**

 **But now we'll get back to our mains!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs Vale, Sara, and the Bennets.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda stared at the two tickets in her hand, curiously flipping them over as she slowly glanced back up at her Dad. He grinned down at her, hands in his pockets as they all stood in the hospital lobby. Her mother was checking her out of the hospital, and she was surrounded by her friends, both human and pokémon.

"Do you like 'em?"

"Well, I mean, yeah." Hilda flipped them over, seeing the term 'Liberty Pass' written on them. "You're gifts are always awesome, so I'm trying to figure out what these are. Concert tickets? Amusement park passes?"

"Nope! They're lifetime passes to go to someplace called Liberty Island." he grinned at her. "I've never been, to be honest, but I got those for your Mom and I when we were traveling around Unova together. But then you happened, and we ended up settling in Nuvema, and… then, you know! Basically, we never got to go."

"Liberty Island is fairly easy to get to." Cheren pushed his glasses on his nose. "It's a national monument in Unova. It used to be a substantially popular tourist spot because it was the supposed residence of the victory pokémon, Victini. But as sightings of it became less and less, people became less interested and eventually stopped coming all together. Even still, one still needs a pass to board the boat to the island."

"Why not go now?" Hilda held them back to her father. "These were probably hard to get way back when it was a big deal. Now you could probably go and enjoy yourself."

"My, Hilda, passing up a free gift?" her mother chuckled, approaching them with Black next to her. "Take them, Hilda. I've been off work for to long as it is. Gray's going to teleport me back home."

"Well, gee, if you insist!" Hilda snapped back sarcastically, though she could feel herself smiling. Then, she turned to her Dad. "But… Am I going to see you again, Dad?"

She honestly didn't intend for the worry in her voice to show, but it must have, because her father's face softened.

"No need to worry. I'm going to teleport back here because I _do_ have business here in Unova. But we'll meet up for lunch sometime, okay?"

"Sure, as long as you pay!" Hilda grinned. Her father openly laughed, glancing over at her mother.

"So, Lisa, where'd she get her penny-pinching from?"

It was a genuine question, as if he truly didn't know whom she had gotten it from. Her mother simply smiled, shaking her head.

"She's always been that way, Gray." stopping in front of Hilda, she stooped down and gave her a tight hug. "No more dangerous stunts!" she chastised sharply. "I never want to get a call about you being in a hospital ever again, you understand me?"

"I understand, Mom." Hilda nodded determinedly. "No more hospital visits."

"Thank you." she smiled, squeezing her shoulders and turning back to Gray. "C'mon, Gray. Let's go."

"Gotcha!" he nodded, patting Hilda on the head. "I'll see you later, Hilda!"

Then, he released a Beheeyem. Both of her parents were smiling as they waved goodbye, and Beheeyem teleported them in a flash of white light. There was a brief silence among Hilda and her friends, finally broken by Bianca.

"So that was your Dad, huh…" she trailed off thoughtfully, smiling at Hilda. "He seemed really nice! It's a shame that he could't stick around for to long."

"Yeah." Hilda nodded once, grinning at her. "He was goofy like that when I was a kid. Looks like he hasn't changed much."

"I thought your parents were together?" Black asked. Hilda felt her spine tense. Then, she smirked, glancing at him.

"Is that what you assumed from that conversation?" she asked in a sugar sweet tone. Black didn't say anything, staring at the spot where her parents were just standing.

"I'm just surprised, that's all. I honestly didn't know that parents could separate and be civil."

Black's sounded musing, eyes still on the spot where her parents just where. Hilda rolled her eyes, punching him on the shoulder, making sure that it would hurt.

"Of course some parents can separate and be civil. My Dad left because he and Mom were to young to be parents, but he never gave up responsibility."

"That's true." Cheren pushed his glassed up his nose. "Hilda always talks about it. Her father was very good at keeping up with child support and trying to make sure Hilda and her mother were okay."

"I'm surprised she hadn't told you about him yet." Bianca tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes sparkled as she continued to speak. "She really likes talking about her parents, and is really proud of her Dad. I'll bet he's an uber strong trainer now, too, considering how long he's been traveling!"

As soon as Bianca and Cheren finished speaking and turned their attention to her, Hilda noticed Black's face cloud over for a moment. Then, in a split second, his smile was back and his shoulders seemed to relax.

Weird.

"So are you gonna go to Liberty Island, Hilda?" Bianca asked, bouncing with excitement. Turning her attention to her friends, Hilda rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am. Victini is supposed to bring victory in battle, right?" grinning, she continued, thumping her fist against her chest. "The more battles I win, the richer I'll be!"

"… I certainly hope that you're going there for more than just trying to capture Victini." Cheren sighed. "True, Victini is the victory pokémon, but just because of that, people have waged wars to get it. Legend says that it brings victory to any battle, on top of have immeasurable power to share with those who touch it."

"Wars…?" Bianca bit her lip, sounding worried. "Maybe it would be best to leave well enough alone, Hilda! I don't want there to be any wars!"

"That's only based on legend." Hilda shook her head.

"But isn't Victini based on legend?" Black asked. "I mean, you're searching for it and believe in the legend, don't you?"

"No one asked you, Black." she snapped back at him.

"Anyways," Cheren cleared his throat, as if hoping to clear the air before Hilda started a fight. "If you plan on going, out of caution, Hilda, you might want to take someone with you. You were just released from the hospital, after all."

Hilda pursed her lips, staring at the two liberty passes, then glancing between Black, Bianca, and Cheren. Cheren would be most interested in something like this, considering his addiction to research and information. But leaving Bianca alone in a big city like this, and even worse, with Black? She couldn't stand the thought. She thought about taking Bianca, but she looked terrified to go to a place, possibly fearing a what a legendary pokémon would be like, possibly fearing starting a war.

… She did not want to take Black. But if she went by herself, Cheren would start playing mother Mandibuzz never leave her alone long enough to search for Victini. And this was a special present from her Dad, that was meant for him and Mom before, as her father cheerfully put it, 'she happened'. She knew she would feel guilty if she gave the pass to a random stranger…

"Here." she held out the pass to Black, and his mouth parted in surprise. Not wanting to listen to him talk, Hilda shoved it against his chest. "Take it, Arceus dammit! And come on, we're going as soon as possible."

"Bye bye, Hilda!" Bianca smiled, waving goodbye as she stomped out of the hospital doors. Quickly, she sensed Black coming up behind her.

"I'm going to be honest, you caught me off guard." Black said, easily keeping up with her long strides. "Of all of us, I never expected you to choose me as your companion."

"I have my reasons." she answered as she continued to book it to Liberty Pier. Seeing only one ship docked there, she approached it. "Hey! Is this the boat to Liberty Island?"

"It is, youngsters." the man who was running the ship was on the older end, looking back and forth between her and Black. Sighing, he slowly stood. "Not that it matters much anymore anyways, but do you have a Liberty Pass?"

Both she and him flashed their pass's to him. The man sighed, standing up and stretching his arms above his head.

"Gonna be honest, I haven't had a couple of youngsters like you want to head to Liberty Island in a couple of decades." gesturing for them to follow, he climbed onto his boat. The boat was small, and he opened a hatch. "We used to have our own little cruise and all for all the people who wanted to come here, but all that's left is a few straggling couples wanting to walk down memory lane. So now we just have this little room down here for you."

Hilda glanced at Black, and he shrugged, going down first. Hilda followed, and saw a small room with an table and some booth seats. There was also a mini fridge, and windows that allowed them to look outside.

"Basically, it's just me alone now. Ever since tourism died down, I've lost a lot my help. On top of that, the new owners of the island are very fickle with people who can visit."

"New owners?" Hilda asked, glancing up at him. "Fickle?"

"Yeah." the man sighed, shaking his head. "Said that you can only have a Liberty Pass if you wanna come here. They expire every couple of years and most all of them have expired in the past three years. They refused to issue new pass's, so only those with lifetime ones get to go. Which you have, so lucky you."

He stood, turning slightly.

"There's not much down here but water and beer, so make yourselves comfortable. I'll make an announcement when we dock."

With that, he climbed back up the stairs. Within moments, the boat thrummed to life, and Hilda felt the thing jolt as they began to sail.

"What're your reasons?"

Hilda was confused about what Black was talking about for a minute. Then it clicked. Her reasons for bringing him along. Crossing her arms, she sat down.

"Simply put, I don't trust you out of my sight. If I took Cheren, you'd be with Bianca and you _know_ I'm not gonna let you hurt her, in any way. I trust Cheren with Bianca's safety more than you. Secondly, Bianca looks scared witless by the idea of starting a war over a pokémon. Third off..." she averted her gaze, struggling to state her third reason.

"Hilda?"

"I owe you one." she muttered under her breath. She felt the back of her neck heat up at the embarrassment of her own admission. "You're the one who got me to the hospital, right? Plus you stayed with me when my parents and my friends weren't there…"

"Aw," Black cooed, resting his chin on his hand as he smiled. "Look at you, being adorable."

"Plus I don't like owing people favors!" Hilda slammed her fist down on the table, making the whole thing shake. "So now I don't own you jack because I'm taking you on a super exclusive trip to Liberty Island!"

Black simply smiled at her. Hilda averted her gaze, looking out the window at the ocean.

"So…" Black drew out the word with a grin. "Did I get upgraded from 'degenerate'?"

"You were an untrustworthy, womanizing degenerate." Hilda snapped.

"Were, hm?" dammit, she didn't mean to say that. "Did I get an upgrade?"

"Maybe." Hilda scowled, looking out the window.

"So where am I now?"

"I don't know, do you wanna name tag?!" Hilda demanded, finally fed up with his simple, happy-go-lucky tone.

"No, I wanna know where I stand with you."

Hilda glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing he looked… maybe sincere. Maybe. His eyes looked more curious than anything else, and honestly, she'd take curiosity over those creepy, cold eyes that seemed to go with every expression he twisted onto his face.

"… Maybe I'll upgrade you to an untrustworthy, womanizing degenerate who has a little decency because he didn't let me die alone from Scolcipede poisoning."

"I'll take what I can get!" Black grinned, seemingly pleased with her answer.

Hilda didn't say anything to him after that, and Black seemed content with the silence as well.

o.0.o.0.o

N didn't want to spend anymore time with Vale, instead using one of his friends to teleport him home. He felt really strange. He's never been at a loss for words, but… He's never seen Vale smile, let alone laugh.

He didn't really understand human humor that well. He didn't understand what made people laugh sometimes, but he knew that jokes made people laugh. But… he didn't attempt to tell a joke nor was he joking when Vale laughed. The last time he told a joke was a knock-knock joke that he read in a book. He remembered giggling about it all night, then told it to his father the next morning.

He just gave him a strange look. When N had explained that it was a joke he read in a book, he mustered up a wry chuckle, but nothing was spoken of it ever again.

His subjects greeted him as he passed, bowing respectfully as he slowly thought over what had transpired that day. Mienfoo had chosen Vale as her leader. Vale had saved him from not only being run over by a car, but also from the malicious dexholders…

If she didn't truly care about him, as his father often said while he was growing up… Then what possible gain did he have for rescuing him twice? Tackling him out of the way of a car could have simply been a ploy to obtain Mienfoo…

But then she dragged him away from the dexholder boy… The one who had betrayed his father. At this point, she had Mienfoo, she could've abandoned him. Left him to face those malicious enslavers all on his own…

It all didn't make sense! It made no logical sense, people made no logical sense! He read her file, how much harm she's caused and all the acts of treachery she's inflicted upon people and pokémon alike! He even watched her battle that redheaded boy, supposedly her brother, and she looked ready to kill him! She was supposedly a danger to pokémon and humankind alike, but she saved him!

As the Destroyer, wouldn't she want the destruction of all peace and tranquility? Why save someone who's views so rivaled her own…?

Finally coming to his room, he opened the door, greeted with the comforting smell of old books, all of which he read and touched in his lifetime. One wall was entirely dedicated to books, from childish nursery rhymes to encyclopedic novels… N often found it hard to part with books. He's always kept the books he had received, as they were often the only gifts he would receive from his father. His father was a busy man, never having time to spend with him when he was a boy. Often, he remembered being in the care of two teenage girls when he was about six years old, Anthea and Concordia.

Often times, Anthea and Concordia would answer any questions he didn't understand. He had trouble understanding humans in the stories. And just like always…

He had trouble understanding humans in this world as well.

o.0.o.0.o

All was fairly simple until the boat came to a stop. As she and Black climbed up to the deck, she saw the old sailor arguing loudly with a rather large woman.

"I told you not to bring anyone here! We bought this island as a pokémon conservation sight! Liberty Island is no longer some ridiculous attraction, there are enough of those in Nimbassa!"

"You said it right here," the sailor was shoving an official looking piece of paper in her face. "Anyone can come if they have a Liberty Pass! They have pass's, lifetime one's, in fact! So I'm gonna dock here and you're gonna let them look around!"

"You two!" the woman bellowed towards them. Hilda cringed at the volume of her voice, but quickly stood beside the old sailor. "Your passes! Now!"

"Here!" Hilda shoved it in her face. "These were a gift from my Dad. They're official and everything."

The woman scowled, looking it over extensively, then she looked at Black. Calmly, he also flashed his pass.

"Fine." she tossed Hilda's pass over her shoulder, letting it flutter to the ground. "But I swear, if I see you two trying to vandalize _anything_ on this property, I'll have our security on you faster than you can think of a denial."

"'I'll have our security on you faster than you can think of a denial'." Hilda echoed mockingly as she stooped down to pick up the pass. "B*tch."

"Now, now, Hilda." Black chastised gently. "No need to further aggravate her."

"It's not like she can hear me." Hilda sighed. Slipping the pass back into her purse, she put her hands on her hips. "Do you think she's gonna have some guard trained on us or something?"

"It's okay." Black rolled his eyes, taking a step forward. "Do you have any information on where Victini might be located?"

Hilda took a quick moment to flick through her pokédex, then recited the information it stated.

"Victini can typically be found on Liberty Garden. Rumor has it that it took sanctuary in the lighthouse when war began." she read it off with a huff, letting it click shut as she stared at Black. "You're not trying to get it to, are you?"

"Not in the slightest. I have no need for a victory good luck charm, as I make sure my victories are always ensured." Black grinned back at her, tugging at his hood a little. His Mincinno suddenly popped out of his hood, crawling down to his arm. "Scout ahead, won't you?"

" _Gotcha!"_ Mincinno chirped, then leapt from his arm and scurried ahead.

"Does that thing live in your hood?" Hilda asked.

"Pretty much." Black shrugged. "He's a reliable partner, I'd ask for no other."

"That's not what I asked." Hilda snapped.

"Well, you should care." Black spoke simply. "Because Mincinno is going to make sure we have a safe path to the lighthouse, without… Whoever is here disrupting our search."

A tense silence fell between the two, forcing Hilda to look anywhere but at him.

"Say, Hilda," Hilda glanced at Black out of the corner of her eye. "Your parents…"

"What about 'em?"

He was quiet for a moment, then spoke.

"They're separated."

"Yeah."

"But civil."

"Yeah, I know it's strange." Hilda rolled her eyes. "Don't think I don't know the stigma about divorced parents. All that mojo about constantly fighting and using kids as bargaining chips…"

Hilda waved her hand in the air, as if to wave away the thought.

"My Mom and Dad are to cool to do that to me. They got together, and had a lot of plans to travel, but then I happened."

"… And then your Dad left?"

"Not right away." Hilda shook her head. "Dad was around until I was three or so… And he tried to settle down and be a good dad. But he was only ever good at one thing, and that was traveling and the battling that came with it. I was almost four when he left… and even though I didn't understand why he was leaving, Mom told me that it was just how he was. That he was special, different from other people."

"Different." Black echoed. His tone wasn't exactly mocking, but disbelieving. Whatever it was, it made Hilda feel annoyed. "No offense, Hilda, but don't you think that's something that separated parents just say to excuse the actions of their partner? Make the kid feel like it wasn't their fault?"

"My Mom always said his spirit was to big to be tied down and contained." Hilda glared at him. "… And them separating wasn't my fault. If anything was my fault, it was that my Mom had to stop traveling with him to take care of me."

She turned, meeting his gaze.

"Did you expect me to loathe him like some edgy preteen? You met him and talked to him, and I've always known it deep in my heart. I could never be angry at him for something he couldn't help. And besides," she cast her gaze over the ocean again. "He did his best to provide for Mom and me. We may not be rolling in dough, and we may not be up to date on the most fashionable whatsit, but both my parents did their best for me. So not it's my turn to provide for them."

"… A child providing for a parent." Black suddenly scoffed. "That's not your job, you realize that, right?"

"Yes, but it's the only thing I can do to pay them back." Hilda was quiet for a moment, then glanced at Black out of the corner of her eye. His guard was down, that much Hilda could tell. Unlike his normally forced and relaxed posture, his shoulders were stiff, his face serious, his eyes… contemplative. Knowing this was a good time to strike, she decided to try to delve into who Black really was. "Well, now you know why I'm traveling about, now what about you?"

"… Huh?"

Judging by the way he suddenly flinched, Hilda knew he was caught off guard.

"Cheren's traveling to prove his strength, Bianca's traveling to find herself, and I'm traveling to give back to my Mom. So what's your deal? What are you after?"

"I'm looking for someone." Black spoke simply. Hilda was surprised by the sincerity in his voice. Just as she was about to press him forward, he met her gaze with an insincere smile. "Maybe that someone is you, Hilda."

His sing-songy voice and glassed over eyes indicated that she had lost him completely. He either caught on that he had dropped his guard, or he unintentionally revealed to much. Either way, his walls were up tenfold right now. There was no way she would dig anything else up today… But she was curious.

Who was this person he was searching for?

"What's up with your Mincinno?" Hilda finally asked, turning around. "You said she was quick, right? What's taking her so long?"

"Now that you mention it…" a look of genuine concern crossed Blacks face. He looked back at the place where Mincinno had gone, humming something under his breath. "It's strange. Mincinno usually comes back after finding the quickest route, and that's usually less than five to ten minutes."

"We've been standing here for twenty." Hilda spoke, glancing at her X-transceiver. Black pursed his lips for a moment. "… Black, something's going on here. Something weird."

"I'm starting to think so too. Usually she responds quickly to that song..." Black glanced around again, then hummed the same tune. Hilda wasn't sure what he was expecting, but nothing happened. Then, he gripped another pokéball on his belt, and threw it into the air. Out came his Archeops. "Archeops, go-"

"Hold on a second." Hilda cut him off, gripping his arm. "Ordinarily, I would want you to learn from your stupid mistakes, but not with your pokémon involved. Think about it, Mincinno is not a rare pokémon that draws attention to itself, but she's missing. Out of no where and out of character. Not to mention this place is crawling with people who are a bit to serious about their privacy, _and_ this island supposedly houses a rare pokémon."

"Are you suspecting pokémon poachers?" Black asked.

"We haven't even seen a single wild pokémon, not even those living in the ocean." Hilda responded bluntly.

"… After something as simple as a Mincinno?"

"It's not just about Mincinno alone!" Hilda sighed. "People are lazy and greedy, as long as they can sell it, they will! And you want to send out a fossil revived, rare, colorful pokémon like an Archeops to search for Mincinno? You might as well say 'I want to give you all of my pokémon, thanks!'."

"But the best course of action would be for an arial view." Black turned his gaze skywards. "And you don't have a flying type, and all I have is Archeops."

"I'm telling you, something is off." Hilda insisted. "Don't send Archeops out. The best option, if we want to keep all our pokémon on hand, is to go search for Mincinno ourselves."

"It's not like this island is big, kiddos." the old sailor said from his boat. He was sitting on the deck also watching the horizon. "And this is the only port. They can't leave unless they come here."

Hilda watched Black's gaze shift to only other boat in port, a very technologically advanced-looking gray ship with dark, tinted windows.

"Old Man!" Hilda called out. "Can you keep watch for us?"

"Gotcha covered, youngsters." the old man saluted, then met gazes with Black. "Son, I suggest listening to your little girlfriend there. I mean it. Things have been getting stranger and stranger in Castelia of late. Don't let your guard down, even if this is private property, ya here?"

"Yes sir," Black said slowly, returning his Archeops, seeing as he was outnumbered two to one. "I know we're asking a lot of you, but if we don't come back within two hours-"

Hilda couldn't help but snort at the very thought. But nonetheless, Black continued.

"You need to go to the pier and get help right away."

"Gotcha, youngsters." the old man again nodded, but more so as to urge them ahead. Hilda turned to Black.

"You don't _really_ think that something that bad will happen to us, do you?"

"My, are you not feeling so confident, Hilda?"

"As if," she snorted, crossing her arms. "But you don't strike me as the type to prematurely admit defeat."

"Trust me, I'm not." Black spoke calmly. "But I am one to anticipate the worst rather than expect the best. And you're right," again, he surveyed the small area, eyes resting uneasily on the darker colored boat. "Something here _is_ off. I just don't know what and it's bothering me slightly."

Hilda blinked at him, surprised that he first admitted she was right about something, as well as admitting he was slightly bothered by what was going on. Black almost never seriously agreed with her, mostly doing so just to placate her… As well as never admitting discomfort of any sorts, but even still…

"That's a shitty way to live life." Hilda said, referencing his anticipation of the worst. Clapping him on the shoulder, she grinned. She wasn't sure what she was trying to do at the moment, but she knew that if one of _her_ pokémon suddenly went missing, especially considering the bond Mincinno and Black apparently felt, she knew Bianca and Cheren wouldn't leave her to wallow.

And even if she _positively, absolutely_ loathed Black and his personality, she wasn't such an ass that she'd let him wallow in the misery of loosing his precious partner.

"Don't be so pessimistic, we'll find Mincinno. Then," she ginned, stomping forward and beckoning him to follow. "We'll search for Victini!"

o.0.o.0.o

Hun sighed from the top of the Plasma Castelia base, glancing at the picture sent to her, then overlooking the crowd of citizens down below.

Considering that Ghetsis held himself to such a high esteem, she was surprised that this scheme came down to nothing more than simple kidnapping. Though kidnapping wasn't something she was above or against, the last kidnapping she and Atilla attempted left a sour taste in her mouth. _Especially_ the humiliation she suffered at the hands of that damnable Krystal and Ethan…

" _Hey, those two kids you were worried about interfering,_ " Hun blinked as she heard Atilla through her earpiece. " _They just left for Liberty Island. Dunno if that's a lucky stroke for us or not, but I've got grunts sending word to keep them occupied for the timebeing._ "

"What's the status of the King?"

" _He's returned to the castle. So he shouldn't become or be aware of this happening."_

"Any leads on Vale?"

 _"Nope."_ Atilla let out an annoyed sigh. _"You'd think that a towering, six foot tall girl with half her face covered in hair would be easy to spot, but I guess not."_

"You have to remember this isn't Johto." Hun reprimanded slightly. "They aren't so… conservative with their style, not to mention the fact that millions of people from around the world come here to make it big. Would a tall, Johtonese woman really be so out of place?"

 _"… You've gotta point."_

"As always." Hun couldn't help but smirk. "Anyway, what about the one with the glasses?"

 _"Sticking pretty close to our target, which is a pain. He's a lot more logical than the other two, and something tells me he's not going to just let her wander around by herself, especially at night, and especially down deserted allies."_

Hun sighed, tilting her head downward.

"Then we need to time this perfectly. There has to be a time when he leaves her alone long enough for us to swoop in. If not, simply get him out of the way long enough for us to swoop in."

" _Gotcha, Hun."_

o.0.o.0.o

 **Ugh, I'm sorry for the late update… Like, uber later. My life has been swamped for a while now and I just kinda put my passion(writing) on the back burner. Now I just feel awful for letting myself do that, because I really do love the stories I'm writing.**

 **But I'm going to pick up where I left off again. The Adventure Saga is back, and I hope anyone who was reading is still around to read what's coming next.**

 **Thank you for your patience.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	17. Castelia Lockdown

**Alright, finals are almost over, my grades are looking great, and it's actually warm in the frozen tundra where I live!**

 **So now I'm gonna try to get this chapter out in a timely manner. Wish me luck!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara, and the Bennets.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

"So there's supposed to be a base of sorts here?"

Sara glanced up at Looker. He kept his gaze ahead in a serious manner, looking at his pokégear every once in a while.

"Yes." Looker nodded once. "Somewhere in Castelia, there's supposed to be a police base that we're _supposed_ to meet Agent Pitch at. However, he's not responding to any of my calls…"

Sara blinked at him for a moment, then pulled out her own pokégear as it buzzed in her pocket.

"Strange." she glanced up at Looker. "He responded to my messages. Says he's gonna be unavailable for at minimum a couple of hours, maybe even until tomorrow morning."

"Oh, so he'll respond to you, but not to me." Looker sounded offended, but more so irritated. "Of all the…"

"Well, he is our superior." Sara tried to comfort him slightly. Shrugging, she continued. "He's gotta have a reason…"

"Yes, but of us two, I am _your_ superior." Looker said with a hint of frustration. "Wouldn't it make more sense for me to be the first person he contacts?"

"Who knows?" Sara shrugged. "Whatever it is, we shouldn't question it, and just keep moving forward."

"I suppose you're right, but even still." Looker sighed in frustration. "To not be available until possibly tomorrow morning…"

"Castelia is huge too." Sara sighed. "I suppose we could try to find where we're supposed to meet him, but then what?"

"We could look around a little bit?" Looker suggested. Sara shot him an odd look.

" _You_ want to site see?"

"Don't you?" Looker asked. "Wasn't the entire reason you became an international officer-"

"Was to find Cici." Sara cut in sharply. She averted her gaze for a moment. "… And look how that turned out."

There was a silence for a moment, then Looker spoke again.

"So you don't under any circumstances whatsoever, want to explore Castelia." Looker seemed eager to confirm, but Sara kept her gaze away from his.

In truth, she would have loved to have taken Looker up on the offer to explore the city. She was born in Slateport, which was a particularly large city in Hoenn, though she spent less time in the up and coming scene for contest starlets and more time on the beach advertising her parents Soda-Pop shop. She'd always dreamed of living in the city, but now that she was here… She kinda just felt numb and irritated. Numb due to her lack of progress in avenging Vale and irritated because she just _couldn't_ change what had happened.

What did it matter if she was happy or if she was finally in a city? _She failed her mission._ She failed what she was trying specialize in, and failed her childhood friend to boot.

An unsettling silence fell between the two as they continued forward. Sara had a deep, depressing feeling that Looker was trying his best to lift her spirits, even a just a little. That in and of itself surprised her, as Looker had always been a cool, serious boss. He always made sure she _learned_ from her mistakes. So… was she just so pitiful?

She would suppose so. Sara was always so optimistic about succeeding that she deluded herself into believing she could never fail. The last thing she expected was failure, and to such a degree…

Shouts of terror suddenly reached their ears, and Sara glanced at Looker.

"That sounds like our cue."

Despite her depression and pity-party, she forced a smile. Because even if she failed, against all odds, Looker somehow had a shred of faith in her. And right now, she desperately needed him to keep that faith.

o.0.o.0.o

Cheren let out a gasp of pain as he was practically thrown over the edge of the pier.

"Tell me _right now,"_ gripping the collar of his shirt even tighter, Josiah Steele growled in his face. " _WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!"_

"I-I _don't know."_ he managed to gasp out. Though Cheren wanted to cry, he suppressed the emotions and met Mr. Steeles gaze through the partially cracked lenses of his glasses.

For a moment, he wondered if this was the person that Bianca spotted.

Even if Cheren had a small inkling that Bianca was developing feelings for Black, he wasn't about to let her slip away so easily. Yes, he would admit, he had retained his childish crush on Bianca, though he would deny it through and through for all eternity. Not out of some childish notion that he feared he wasn't good enough for Bianca or something like that. He just _seriously feared_ how their parents would react.

His mother liked Bianca, sure, but she'd positively _murder_ Mr. Steele if he tried to interfere. And since the beginning of their friendship, Cheren himself was Mr. Steele's scapegoat. Bianca cut her knee? Cheren pushed her. Bianca was upset? Cheren did something to hurt her feelings. Even when it came to personal, family issues, Cheren _knew_ he was blamed. So if Cheren ever got the grace of a chance with Bianca, he knew that Mr. Steele would murder _him,_ if not do everything in his power to keep them apart.

But at this particular moment… Cheren honestly didn't blame him.

Everything had happened so fast. One moment, he was making sure Bianca wasn't being hit by a car, next Bianca yelped, like she was afraid. She ended up dragging him down a couple back allies, refusing to explain why she was acting like this. They ended up in a dead end, then something attacked them and then…

Well, when he came too, his pokémon, his bag, and Bianca were completely _gone._ And the first person he had the pleasure of running into was none other than her _father._

Honestly, he was prepared to die right now. Having stumbled onto Prime Pier, he made eye contact with Mr. Steele and he knew he was about to sign his own death warrant.

"Hey!" a young girl who was also on the pier was slamming her fists into Mr. Steele's back. "Back off! Leave him alone!"

" _Where is my daughter?!"_

With each word, Mr. Steele was shaking him.

"I don't know!" Cheren repeated.

"Excuse me,"

This time, a different voice entered their ears. Though he was still pinned, Cheren saw a young woman with long, wavy brown hair and a strange pink hat on her head. She was smiling, but had dark circles under her eyes and looked really tired.

"Listen, dunno if you noticed, but you're _kinda_ causing a scene. So unless you want me and my partner to take you in for assault, lets release the young man, yeah?"

"Do you know who I am?" Mr. Steele demanded

"Does it honestly matter?" this time, an older voice spoke. Stepping in front of the young woman, Cheren saw a man in a trench coat… Flashing a police badge. "I go by Looker, this young woman next to me is my apprentice, Agent Blitz. We're international agents, so whomever you may be, we _can_ arrest you for assault."

"But before that, maybe you can just release the young man and we'll talk about this civilly?"

"Tch." despite the obvious resistance, Mr. Steele released him, and he just slid down the wall, deciding that even if it wasn't ideal, the dirty ground of the pier was a better place to rest than none.

"Oh, geez…" the younger girl, around fourteen years of age, who was trying to defend him knelt beside him. "Heya, you okay? My name's Iris…"

"Cheren." Cheren groaned out, glancing at the girl as she gently removed his glasses from his face. "Please don't loose those. I don't have my spare and I'm near sighted. I can't even walk two feet without them."

"Gotcha covered." Iris spoke, gently folding the broken glasses and tucking them safely into her pocket.

"This young man kidnapped my daughter!" Mr. Steele immediately accused to the two police agents. "Took her right from under my nose! I only barely managed to get information that they were here and he refuses to tell me where he hid her!"

"For the last time," Cheren groaned slightly. "A young woman legally obtaining her trainers license and going on a journey with her two childhood friends is _not kidnapping._ I did not kidnap Bianca, she came on this journey willingly."

"Because you manipulated her!" Mr. Steele hollered.

"Can't you see he's hurt?!" Iris immediately demanded.

"He's a kidnapper! He should be arrested for his crimes!"

"I didn't kidnap anyone!"

"Enough!" Looker said sharply, stepping between them. "Blitz, please take Mr…"

"Steele. Josiah Steele, owner and operator of Unova Steele Corporation."

"… Please take Mr. Steele and interview him."

"Gotcha covered." Blitz smiled, gesturing for Mr. Steele to follow. "Please, come along."

"Now then," Looker sighed, turning to them. "Please explain what is going on?"

"We've got bigger problems right now than the fact that he's accusing _me_ of kidnapping his daughter." Cheren squinted, trying to focus on the agent. "You have to listen to me, Bianca's gone."

"Gone?"

"She got her trainers license and ran away from home, against her father's wishes, and he's blaming me and our other friend, Hilda White. I guess she spotted him and was afraid of him taking her home because she began to drag me down a back ally, and we were attacked and-"

"Attacked? Who or what attacked you?"

"I don't know." Cheren shook his head. "We hit a dead end and were hit from behind. I was knocked out and when I came to, everything I currently own is _gone._ My pokémon, my bag, my wallet… Even the key to my room in the pokémon center is gone…"

"Could you please describe the missing person?"

"Her full name is Bianca Claire Steele. She's around five-four, sixteen years old, with blond hair and green eyes. She is a trainer, but truthfully is not very strong and incredibly naive due to being over-protected for most of her life."

Cheren couldn't help but flinch as he heard Mr. Steele shouting from across the pier.

"Mr. Steele won't listen to reason. He's going to keep blaming me and I didn't _do_ anything."

"Are you hurt?" Looker asked.

"Not terribly." Cheren reached up and rubbed his temple. "I'm bruised and bloodied, but I'm not going to die."

Cheren was only aware that Mr. Steele and Blitz were approaching again when he heard Mr. Steele's smug remarks.

"So, are you going to arrest this kidnapper, miss?"

"Looker, we need to take this man into custody." she held up a huge wad of cash. Promptly, Looker pulled out an evidence bag. "With charges under bribing a police officer."

" _Excuse_ me?!" Mr. Steele exclaimed. Looker simply looked at him.

"Please come with me peacefully, Mr. Steele."

"You can't do this to me, I am the owner of a mass corporation! I have the best lawyer on call! I could buy you out in a heartbeat, you one-note cop-!"

Even though Mr. Steel was protesting, he went willingly. Blitz then turned to them.

"Hey, you doing okay?" she asked gently. "He kept spouting the same nonsense, saying you manipulated his daughter and so forth… It sounds like he's more worried about getting _you_ out of the picture than he is getting his daughter back in the picture."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Cheren sighed. "Please believe me, Bianca left willingly. She's been my friend since we were kids, and the only reason Mr. Steele hates me so much is because Bianca accidentally knocked her two front teeth out while she was playing at my house, way back when we were five or six."

"… That man can sure hold a grudge!" Iris exclaimed. "Don't worry, Cheren!"

"… Not to offend you, but Bianca is currently missing. Am I supposed to be okay with what's going on just because of the idea that you have faith that I'm not her kidnapper?"

"You should!" Iris spoke arrogantly. "Because you're speaking to-"

"Iris!"

Again, Cheren was forced to squint as a colorful figure with a rather large head approached them. Sighing, he turned back to Iris.

"Please give me my glasses back, I don't think I can stand being blind much longer."

"Are you sure? They're broken…"

"It's better than being blind." Cheren insisted. Hesitantly, Iris slowly handed the broken spectacles back, and he put them on. Able to see somewhat, he saw that Burgh was standing before them.

"Iris, for Zekrom's sake…" the gym leader put his hands on his hips in irritation. "Drayden left you in my care and I turn my back once and you're running about! This city may be different and new, but it's not exactly safe in some parts, and especially so for a girl who doesn't have her trainers license yet!"

"Oh, bug off!" Iris snapped. "I'm not a child!"

"Bug off-?!" Burgh exclaimed, gasping with a hand over his heart. "How dare you use the sacred bug-types name in such a manner!"

"Can we _please_ get back to more pressing matters?" Cheren demanded as he shakily stood.

"He's right," Blitz suddenly interjected, holding out her hand to Burgh. "My name is Agent Blitz, apprentice under Agent Looker. We're international agents that have been deployed here in Unova for an investigation. You're the Gym Leader of this city… No?"

"I am indeed," Burgh shook her hand. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. So what's going on here?"

"Okay, my turn to talk!" Iris cut in. "So I was walking around and I suddenly heard some guy yelling! And when I ran to see what was going on, some jerk was trying to practically murder Cheren!" Iris' arm shot to him. "That's Cheren, by the way."

"We've met in Nacrene." Cheren nodded once. "Hello, Burgh."

"It's a big case of he said, she said." Blitz sighed, rubbing her temple. "Or in this case, he said, he said. Basically, Josiah Steele is accusing Cheren here of kidnapping his daughter, where as Cheren claims that she has her trainers license and left willingly. Either way, we can only prove who's wrong and who's right by _finding_ Bianca Steele, the daughter, but she's currently missing."

"Did you get separated?" Burgh asked, slowly taking in Cherens appearance. "… What on earth happened to you?"

"As I was saying," Blitz cut in. "Cheren was with Bianca when they were allegedly trying to avoid Bianca's father."

"Bianca was trying to avoid him." Cheren cut in. "She was just dragging me along, and got us lost."

"Before they could find their way back, Cheren claims they were attacked from behind, and he was knocked out," Blitz spoke again. "And awoke to having his bag and pokémon stolen, with Bianca gone."

"Oh dear…" Burgh took his chin in his hand in worry. "Perhaps she went to get help for you?"

"I wouldn't put it past Bianca," Cheren spoke in a murmur. "But I also know Bianca would hang around until I regained consciousness, or at least have called an ambulance…"

"Then we should check with the emergency call center to see if any calls came through within the last…" Blitz trailed off, glancing at Cheren. He furrowed his brow.

"I would say at least the last hour, at the most, two hours."

"I'll contact Looker, then." Blitz nodded once, bringing out a rather old-looking model of a phone to message Looker. As she did so, however, her brow furrowed. "Strange, no signal…"

"Implausible." Burgh shook his head. "There should be wi-fi access across the country, something our champion instilled, especially in case of emergency."

"I think it's your city, Burgh!" Iris popped in, looking at her X-transceiver. "No signal!"

To prove her point, she shoved her device in Burghs face. Despite the action, Burgh still had to tilt his head down to examine the X-transceiver. As if still in denial, he pulled out his own X-transceiver and tried to make a call.

"This is impossible…" Burgh murmured as his call was apparently blocked around them. As he lifted his head, all of them were suddenly, keenly aware of the complaints of other passerbys.

"Could it be down for maintenance ?" Blitz asked, trying to offer a reasonable explanation.

"Most likely not." Cheren spoke bluntly. "Normally, our companies would send us a message should the wi-fi be disconnected for a certain area of the country, so traveling trainers know in advance."

"Plus, Castelia has more than one tower." Burgh murmured. "And on top of that, most everyone in Unova has X-transceivers, which doesn't require satellite connection to make a call. In order for everyone to not have connection…"

He lifted his head, causing everyone to follow suit. In truth, it looked like there was a complete power outage. None of the lights were on in the buildings, none of the screens, normally illuminated with ads, were flashing…

The only sound was people complaining about everything that was going on.

"… What on _earth_ is going on in my city?"

As those words left Burgh's lips, the screens on the building suddenly lit up, showing a bright blue background with a silver, shield-like emblem in the center…

 _"People of Castelia City…"_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda scowled as Black again shut off his ringing X-transceiver, quickly sending a message to whomever was so desperate to contact him.

"Why don't you just tell the girl you pissed off that you can't talk to her?" Hilda snapped. Black simply shrugged.

"I'll just call her back later." he spoke nonchalantly, putting his hands in his pockets.

With a huff, Hilda decided she'd tear him a new one later, and move forward.

" _Personally,"_ she spoke with an obvious air of disapproval and annoyance. "If my pokémon were missing or acting out of the norm, I'd be more concerned about finding them than playing around with girls."

"Well, it wouldn't do us much good if my ringing X-transceiver got us caught." Black said cheekily.

"Whatever." Hilda rolled her eyes as she snapped back, turning on her heel to continue forward.

Before she could, however, Black suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"Five seconds or you're gonna become one with that tree." Hilda growled at him.

"Five,"

Black suddenly yanked her back. Her fist shot up to punch him in the chin, but he instead dodged and grabbed a branch off the ground.

"Four,"

Shoving her down with his hand still on her shoulder, he looked over his shoulder.

"Three,"

He pointed the stick forward, eyes glancing about, then reared his arm back.

"Two,"

He tossed the stick forward, and suddenly, there was a snapping sound. Hilda's mouth gaped open as a small metallic trap snapped around the stick, successfully snapping the stick in half.

Black stood, turning back to her with his hand outstretched to help her up.

"One. Five seconds, no more, no less." he grinned. "Took me five seconds to prove that you have to be more careful, right?"

"… Thanks." she grunted, standing up on her own. As Black let his hand drop to his side, she glanced at the trap. "What in the name of Giritina's distortion world is that?"

"It's a trap." Black said simply. Going to a nearby bush, he pulled up a small, thin piece of wire. "I think how it's supposed to work is that the prey catches on this, then the trap springs and tries to catch it. Depending on the size of the prey, this thing could feel like a bug bite or break a couple ribs…"

"What would happen if a human got caught in it?"

"Probably would hurt." Black shrugged. "At best, bleeding and maybe a tetanus shot. At worst, broken bone."

"… But poaching and trapping pokémon like this is _illegal."_ Hilda muttered. "It's not just a Unova thing either, Kanto-boy."

"I know." Black spoke calmly, studying the sprung trap. "It's a world-wide, universal act that effects every area where humans and pokémon coexist."

"… Not to scare you or anything, but you don't think Mincinno could have been caught in one of these…" she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, gauging his reaction. "… Do you?"

"I would like to think not," Black spoke, though there was obvious worry in his tone. "I trained her better than to get stuck in a trap as obvious and as simple as this…"

He lifted his gaze slightly.

"I want to go forth and trigger any traps I find." he glanced at her over his shoulder. "So can you listen to me when I say stop?"

Hilda crossed her arms, glaring at him. Black stood, breaking another stick off of a tree. He smiled, turning to her and ticking at her chin with the leaves at the end of the branch.

"Unless, of course, you want to get hurt by one of these potentially dangerous traps and then further worry your dear old mum by getting into a hospital again?"

Slapping the stick out from under her, she grabbed ahold of his shirt and tugged him close.

"Bring my mother into this and I'll throw you into the traps." she growled.

"Yeah, yeah." Black shrugged nonchalantly, then gripped her wrist. "Now then, can we continue forward?"

Hilda growled under her breath, yanking her hand free. As if taking that response as a sign of her submission, he turned, continuing forward.

o.0.o.0.o

 _"My name is Ghetsis, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma…"_

"Team Plasma?" Lyra echoed, gripping Silver's coat sleeve as both stared up at the emblem, flickering on the hundreds of screens within the city. "What on earth is that?"

"… Not now, Lyra." Silver spoke in a hushed whisper, bowing his head and furrowing his brow. That voice was familiar.

He would know… Because Silver was certain that voice...

 _"We're a group that works towards the separation of humans and pokémon, total liberation of pokémon from humans… But until late, it seems we have not been taken seriously."_

"… That's _him_."

o.0.o.0.o

As Black continued triggering multiple traps as they walked through the small forest.

" _Good grief, so many traps…"_

Hilda paused walking as the voice suddenly hit hear eardrums. Though Black seemed unaware, Hilda was becoming unsettled. Slowly, she was getting used to being able to hear pokémon. The tidbits she picked up here and there were becoming interesting, making her world a little more lively than it was before, but now…

There was nothing. There was no voices of pokémon. Arceus, she couldn't even _sense_ them, if that made any sense at all.

It was disturbing her, which is why she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a small voice.

"Hey, did you hear that?" she asked. Black looked at her oddly.

"Hear what?"

"Quiet!" she snapped. Then, she strained her ears, listening.

 _"But this is really, really bad… Everyone's gone, and if I go to the mainland…"_

"There's nothing." Black responded curtly. "You're hearing things, Hilda."

"I'm not!"

"You are." he insisted, then turned and began triggering more traps.

"Dammit, Black-" she cut herself off as she heard a yelp of pain. Then, a small creature shot from the bushes with one of the traps snapped around it's leg. " _DAMMIT, BLACK."_

"So there are pokémon here." he observed as Hilda held her arms out to it. It hesitated, but with the heavy trap weighing it's leg down, it simply sunk into her arms.

"Yeah, and you trapped it, asswipe!" she snapped. "Get this thing off of it!"

"I only trigger the traps, I don't-"

"Help me figure out how to get this damned thing off of it, or I swear…" Hilda growled out.

Black sighed, then approached them.

"What kind of pokémon is it?"

"Why?"

"Because if I plan to use one of my pokémon, I want to make sure I'm not gonna hurt the thing."

Hilda said nothing, eying him warily as she slowly brought out her pokédex. It quikly scanned and registered the pokémon in her arms, and when the results popped up.

"Holy shit." she whispered under her breath. Looking down at the pokémon, she continued speaking. " _You're_ Victini?"

The thing let out a purr-like coo, then nodded.

"Victini, eh?" Black stepped back, letting out a pokémon. Before them stood Pansear. Hilda glowered at the pokémon.

" _Oh, would you look what the lillipup decided to drag inside."_ Pansear sneered as it stared at her. " _… Or better yet, look what the lillipup chewed up and spit out."_

"Shut your damn mouth!" Hilda snapped. Quickly, she realized her mistake. Black was giving her an odd look. Not sure how she was going to play this off, she didn't say anything.

"… What?" Black finally asked.

"What do you mean, what?" Hilda demanded. "Why'd you bring out that brat, anyways?"

"Victini is a fire type, so I figured I could just have Pansear melt the mechanism holding the trap shut without hurting Victini to badly."

"Well, get on with it, then!" Hilda ordered. "Seriously, poor thing is probably hurting…"

"You heard her, Pansear." Black nodded to the pokémon, and immediately, it blasted both Hilda and Victini with flames.

" _F*CKING JACKASS!"_ she screamed, stumbling back. The trap clattered to the ground, at the cost of the skin on Hilda's arms. "Dammit! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Pansear." Black's tone cut through the air like a knife, causing all of them to freeze. His gaze was cold, serious, and almost threatening. Before any of them could say anything, however, Black suddenly returned Pansear and whipped around.

"Black-" Hilda began, only to be cut off by a flash of black and silver in her peripheral vision. Then, a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Hell…!" she screamed into the gag, a sickly sweet scent assaulting her nose.

"Hilda-!" Black was fighting his own against two figures that blurred past him. Raising her elbow and still holding Victini, she jammed the person holding her in the chest. Despite her kicking and fighting, he hardly seemed phased.

"Get off me!" she yelled, though she was becoming scared by how heavy her limbs were becoming.

"Gah-!" Black let out a grunt as he suddenly toppled to the ground. At this point, the person holding Hilda let her drop to the ground, not to far from Black. She couldn't even twitch her fingers, and she felt overwhelmingly tired.

" _You can't give up now!"_ Victini was shaking her head back and forth. " _You can't be defeated like this, you're-!"_

o.0.o.0.o

 _"… Castelia City is now under lockdown. No one will leave. No one will come in. The only way we will free this city is if you meet these conditions. One, everyone will hand over their pokémon to Team Plasma in order for them to be liberated. Two, they largest corporations in this city will donate approximately one hundred thousand dollars apiece so we can further our goals in freeing the pokémon. And finally...Gym Leader Burgh._

 _"You will come to us. Don't think that we're not aware of your ongoing investigations of our actions. You will bow in the name of our king and resign as gym leader, publicly._

 _"Until these demands are met, we will not relinquish our hold on the city."_

Vale bowed her head as people suddenly began to panic around her, rushing to and from, as if hoping this mass chaos would cause them to become free. Slowly, she lifted her head to the sky and saw that the sky, instead of being colored blue, was warped with some sort of shield.

"N, can you see this from where you are?" she murmured under her breath. "… I was wondering how long it would take you to show your true colors, Mask."

o.0.o.0.o

 **ALSO, SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR ANYONE WHO'S READING.**

 **I would like what I call an "idea bouncer" that I can message and talk to as I'm writing this story. Not necessarily a beta-reader, just someone who can help me keep my ideas organized and also is there to remind me to get my ideas out in a timely manner.**

 **Problem is, I need someone whose COMPLETELY OPEN TO SPOILERS. You will be receiving messages that contain spoilers for the story chapter by chapter, and though it won't be the complete chapter, you'll be receiving summarization of the chapter PARTS.**

 **I'm hoping this won't take away from your experience of my story, but I found this works really well for me, and I want to get chapters out faster than normal.**

 **If anyone's interested, just leave a review and I'll PM you! Thank you~!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	18. Knotted Threads

**For those who volunteered, thank you so much. I'm still making decisions and seeing if anyone else pops up last minute. I'll try to have the idea bouncer out by the next update… Hopefully!**

 **I just wanted to say, I'm feeling very much invigorated. I can't wait to get this story out, and I'm actually thinking about the next parts!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only Vale, Sara, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Bianca remained in the corner of her cell, whimpering quietly to herself. It all happened so fast that she didn't even know what was happening until it was to late… And it wasn't even spectacular or cool like it was in those action movies Hilda liked!

She wasn't alone. It wasn't nighttime or rainy… She was simply trying to avoid her father _,_ who _against anything she could imagine,_ had found her. Next thing she knew, Cheren had collapsed and she was being dragged down the ally by someone. Before she could scream, she was shoved into the back of a nearby car and toted away.

Then, they took her bag and her pokémon, handcuffed her hands behind her back, and put her in this little white room. No matter what she said or what she asked, she was simply ignored.

Lip trembling, she bowed her head. She was really scared, no doubt about it. Scared, and really, really lonely.

One of her father's biggest reasons for not letting her leave was because she might be kidnapped and ransomed off. Never once did she ever think that it would actually _happen._ She always had Cheren or Hilda by her side, so she always assumed that se would be just fine, and if all else failed, she'd have her pokémon to fight by her side.

But not she had no one, and she could already imagine her father's response once the ransom goes through. No doubt he would pay it, and then whisk her back home with no intention of letting her leave ever again.

This was quite the hopeless situation to her. On one hand, she was being held captive by someone who was out for obvious harm, considering how they attacked Cheren, but on the other, she would be released into the custody of her father, and she'd never see the light of day again.

For a moment, she wondered what Hilda or Black or Cheren would do in this situation.

"Stupid…" she whispered under her breath. "Hilda, Black, and Cheren wouldn't be dumb enough to get themselves in a situation like this."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Bianca suddenly gasped, snapping her head up. So focused on her own thoughts, she didn't even notice the door open. There, she saw the man who introduced himself in Accumula Town as Ghetsis.

"Y-You…!" she trailed off, shakily standing as Ghetsis stepped aside. "You're a part of Team Plasma, right?"

He didn't acknowledge her, simply stepped aside as three masked men suddenly shoved two people into the tiny cell with her. Bianca gasped at the site of Hilda and Black. Both had their arms handcuffed behind their backs, and Black looked a little more roughed up than Hilda. Both were unconscious… And notably lacking their bags and pokéballs.

"Hilda! Black!" she called out their names, hoping beyond hope for some sort of reaction, but she got nothing. "Oh great Reshriham… Are they alive?! What have you done?!"

"Of course they're alive," Ghetsis sneered, sending a shiver down Bianca's spine. That expression… That expression was not that of the gentle man she encountered in Accumula. "They wouldn't be much use to me dead."

"W-Why are you…?" Bianca trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut. "I don't understand! I thought you were a peaceful organization, b-but you're hurting people…" suddenly recalling Hilda's encounter with the Solcipede, and who owned that pokémon, she recoiled in fear. "You almost killed Hilda!"

Ghetsis simply sighed, turning around and walking away.

"Wait!" Bianca cried out as the door slowly slid shut behind him. "Why are you doing this?! What's going on?!"

She didn't receive an answer. Adding uselessness on top of the list of depressing feelings, Bianca simply stared at her two friends with tears rolling down her cheeks.

How could something like this happen? Hilda and Cheren were the strongest people she knew, and yet… And yet, here sits one unconscious, and the other in some dark ally, swatted aside and abandoned…

And then there was herself, to weak to even try to put up a fight.

o.0.o.0.o

Gray found it odd that he couldn't teleport back into Castelia, as he had planned to do earlier. So, he simply teleported to the route gate, and tried to go through, only to see it was blocked by a bunch of protesters who were blocking access 'in the name of pokémon liberation'.

So he left, and simply climbed up and over the route gate.

As he got to the top, however, he saw people overhead completely crowding the route gate entrance, only fended off by some rather vicious looking pokémon. Amidst the chaos, he noticed something else. All the lights and flashes and whatnot that made Castelia City so famous… were completely gone.

Hopping down over the crowd, he strolled through the city in confusion, trying to get the attention of someone to ask what the heck was going on. However, every time he tried to get someones attention, they just rushed by him or screamed at him. Feeling a little hurt, he pouted, pulling out his pokégear with hopes to contact Hilda, only to recieve nothing but a dial tone. Pulling back, he stared at his gear.

"Weird…" looking over the crowd, he finally spotted someone who looked semi-calm… and strangely walking against the crowd, away from the exit. "Hey!"

Reaching out, he grabbed her arm. The young woman quickly snapped her arm away, staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To know what the hell's going on!" Gray exclaimed. "Seriously, I had to climb over the route gate to get in here 'cause I'm going to meet my daughter for lunch, and everyone's panicking like the apocalypse is coming! You seem fairly calm, care to tell me what's going on?"

"Team Plasma took over the city and has it on lockdown. All electricity has been shut down, and no one can use any form of cellular device to contact anyone."

"Anyone?" Gray echoed. "Not even outside Castelia?"

"Apparently not." the young woman shrugged. "Honestly, I wouldn't know better, because I don't exactly _own_ a phone or anything like that, so I'm just going based off of the information I know. They're not going to free the city until their conditions are met."

"What're they're conditions?"

"They want us to hand over our pokémon in the name of liberation, they want all the big companies in Castelia to hand over a hundred thousand dollars as 'donations', and they want the Gym Leader, Burgh, to publicly bow to their king and resign as gym leader."

"Wow." Gray let out a low whistle. "That's pretty serious. Gym leaders can't just step down or resign like that unless they have an apprentice that's ready to take over for them, you know? Does Burgh have an apprentice?"

"I don't know." she shook her head. "I'm not from Unova."

"Same here!" Gray laughed. "But jeez… This almost has me a little shaken up! You must have nerves of steel, kid, 'cause you're not even phased!"

"I wouldn't be so sure." she responded, looking away. "Maybe I'm just used to chaos like this?"

Gray took slight notice of her trembling hands, furrowing his brow.

"Are you?"

She didn't answer.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Does that truly matter to you?"

"Well, considering you're the calmest person here and moving away from the exits…" Gray shrugged. "Let's just say I've got an eye for people who have a plan."

The girl was quiet, then slowly turned her gaze upwards.

"Do you see what's covering the city?"

Gray turned his gaze upwards, baffled slightly by the strange field around the city.

"I think Team Plasma put that up to block power signals in this city. That, or it's interfering with it. If we can get the power and the signal running through the city again, even for twenty minutes, it should give us enough time for others to infiltrate their Castelia base and take them down while they're focused on regaining control."

"Yeah, but do you think that will work?" Gray glanced at her skeptically. "No offense, but how do I know they won't just ignore the issue?"

"… Don't take this the wrong way, but the man who is running Team Plasma will not _stand_ for imperfections. So if his plan involves the city being at a complete loss of power, he _will_ halt everything and try to get the field back up." she averted her gaze for a moment. "He also tends to hide things with a rather… flashy exterior. I think something darker is going on behind the scenes… Something he's trying to hide under this Castelia lockdown."

"Well, that doesn't sound good." Gray murmured. "And you have people infiltrating their base?"

"No." she responded. "But I have an… old friend here who's not going to let this slide."

"Do they have a grudge against Team Plasma?"

"Not Team Plasma itself."

"And you're sure they're going to go after them?

"I'm certain." she met his gaze. "Unfortunately, I don't have a pokémon that can fly, and with the way the crowd is moving, it'll be difficult for me to properly assess what is going on."

"I've got a pokémon that can fly!" Gray immediately offered. "I need the signal to go back up! My daughter is a tough cookie, but with all of this going on, I'm worried she'll start causing trouble and hurt herself."

"Your daughter?" she echoed.

"Yup! Hilda's her name!"

"Hilda?!" the girl reeled, stepping back. "You… You don't mean you're the father of _Hilda White…"_

"Yeah, that's her name! You know her? She didn't mention anyone like you, but hey, it's a small world…" he trailed off, glancing at her again. "What's your name?"

"If I tell you, will you swear to not tell Hilda anything I just told you?"

"What do you mean…?"

"Hilda cannot know about what I know. She can't know my connections, and she can't know my information about Team Plasma."

"… Well, as long as she doesn't ask, I won't tell her." Gray rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "It's kinda family trait. Everyone with the White family name can't keep a secret for the life of them…"

The girl sighed, then turned on her heel.

"My name is Vale. After we're finished here, you never heard of me, understand?"

"Gotcha."

o.0.o.0.o

"It looks like the last of our team has arrived."

Cheren lifted his head as the nurse attending to him left the room upon request of Looker and Blitz. Leading in two other people, Cheren parted his lips slightly as he saw a young woman and a young man perhaps no older than he himself was. The girl had light brown hair in pigtails while the male had bright red hair, pulled back in a ponytail at the back of his head.

"No one can hear us, right?" the red-haired man asked.

"They shouldn't." Blitz answered simply. The pigtailed girl smiled gently at him, seemingly the first of the two to notice him.

"Hi there," she spoke in a friendly manner, holding out her hand. "So you're one of the dexholders here in Unova?"

"Yes." Cheren spoke simply. "… Forgive me, but you look familiar. I just can't place where I know you from. And your accent…"

"My name is Lyra Kotone," the girl grinned. "Though you might know me as one of the Secondary Pokédex Holders of Johto."

Cheren's eyes widened a fraction. Due to Unova being an independent metropolis, they often stayed out of the goings ons of other countries. However, even the accomplishments of the dexholders, given titles by the famous Professor Oak himself, had reached his ears. Though Unova did not seem to know their faces yet, they knew their names and their titles. Cheren himself had taken the time to actually research their accomplishments… As much as he could without delving to far into baseless fan theories and pairings.

He did this because he wanted to know, to a certain extent, how exactly he should uphold himself as a dexholder himself. However, all he could really find was newspaper articles celebrating their titles, and again… Baseless rumors on what they truly accomplished.

"Way to subtly hint at it, Lyra." the young man, Cheren assumed this was Silver, sighed.

"Well, he's got a pokédex too, right? He might as well know, or else we're never going to be able to track down his friend!"

"You can track Bianca through the pokédex?!" Cheren suddenly exclaimed.

"Shh!" Blitz suddenly shushed him.

"It's actually something we just found out ourselves." Silver spoke. "Considering our rising fame,"

"And Leaf's continual disappearing acts," Lyra suddenly chimed in.

"Professor Oak installed them and on ours and any future makes of the dexes. They're supposed to be used as a fail-safe in case one of us goes off the map for to long without warning."

"Only the primary and secondary dexholders, Professor Oak, and us two," Looker gestured between himself and Blitz. "Are aware of it, as it is still within the development process."

"… But you can find Bianca using this, right?" Cheren asked again. Then, a thought occurred. "… There's no power in Castelia right now."

Glancing out the door, he saw a nurse and a doctor frantically rushing by with some electric-type pokémon on their heels.

"… Even the backup generators aren't working." Cheren whispered under his breath. "Right now, everyone seems to be relying solely on electric type pokémon to keep machines vital to patients health running. How are we going to use this to our advantage?"

"Professor Oak thought of that as well." Lyra cut in, gripping his hands gently, reassuringly. "Leaf tends to hide in very remote places. The dexes are designed to give off their own transmission signal that responds only to other dexes, so that it can't be hacked by an outside source."

"The dex will only respond with vibrations when it's within a hundred foot radius of another, active pokédex." Silver spoke calmly.

"No offense," Cheren instinctively reached up to adjust his glasses. "But unless one of you plan to just wander around the city, how will this help find Bianca? And even better, how will this solve the Castelia lockdown."

"That's where we cut in." Looker suddenly spoke. "See, Silver, Lyra, Blitz, and myself are here investigating Team Plasma, specifically, a certain member. Unfortunately, we cannot disclose much more information, as this is an international crisis, but we have reason to believe that your friend, Bianca, may have been taken by Team Plasma."

"… An activist group?" Cheren echoed. "Apologies, but that doesn't make much sense."

"No?" Blitz suddenly cut in. "Allow me to explain our point of view, then. If you know what we know, Team Plasma is only trying to save face. They're never going to do something that would publicly hurt their image, and if they do slip up, it's in front of someone who may not have much in terms of a reputation, so they can just brush it off as someone who is slandering them because they don't agree with their views. Of course, kidnapping would be terrible, which is why they would have waited until Bianca had wandered down a deserted path to take her."

"Bianca's father is extremely influential, not only in Unova, but also internationally." Looker spoke. "From what we could gather, many people from around the world contact him in order to get steel to be used in projects. However, due to how well he has guarded Bianca, no one really knows what she looks like. Only that she _exists._ "

"But… There are a million rich kids in Unova that they could have taken." Cheren shook his head in exasperation. "There's the Availance family, which is much more public due to their father now entering politics, as well as a million and one bankers and doctors and scientists… Why Bianca? Why target _her?"_

"We're thinking it's not so much money, but what Team Plasma can manipulate out of Josiah Steele to get his daughter back." Blitz spoke. "If it was money, why are they demanding money from Castelia's corporations?"

"Then what could they want?"

"Building supplies." Silver cut in. "They're building something massive, or are planning too… And that's why they took Bianca. They plan to extort _materials_ from her father. I also think all of this," he waved his hand through the air, as if to account for everything currently going on in Castelia right now. "Is either a distraction from what Team Plasma is trying to do, or a play of power to instill fear in Josiah Steele. Either way, they're going to get what they want, unless something is done."

"… So the pokédex…" Cheren glanced at all of them. "How are we going to find Bianca with the pokédex if it only activates in a hundred foot radius?"

"Simple." Silver turned to Sara, and she passed him a computer bag. "How good are you with computers?"

"Fantastic, actually." Cheren spoke.

"Professor Oak told us that If we connect a pokédex to a computer," Lyra spoke excitedly. "We can connect the tracker to a special mapping device that only works for our dexes!"

"All of this to find pokédex holders?" Cheren murmured as Silver seemed to be setting up the laptop.

"In case of an emergency." Lyra smiled. "We're kinda a big deal now, and the more dexholders that come along, the bigger a deal we'll become, and the more targets there will be."

"Basically, it's a safety precaution." Blitz spoke.

"And for good reason." Silver muttered as he continued focusing on the computer. Cheren wasn't exactly sure what he was referencing or recalling, but before he could question it, Silver turned to him. "Okay, who has an electric type?"

"I've got it covered." Lyra playfully winked, then enlarged a pokéball. In moments, a pokémon that Cheren has never seen before stood before them. "Cheren, this is Ampharos. Ampharos, this is Cheren."

"Ampharos will act as a power source for the computer." Silver spoke, taking what looked like cable wire and attaching one end to the plug for the computer cord, the other to Ampharos's tail. "He's going to make sure that you're safe here while we try to find your friends."

"Wait, I'm staying here?" Cheren echoed as he took the computer onto his lap.

"Yes." Silver stared at him, then spoke bluntly. "You have no pokémon, you're injured, and you can't even see straight with your glasses like that. How could you possibly expect to be of use?"

Insulted, Cheren opened his mouth to make a comeback, when Lyra cut in.

"What Silver means is," she smiled as she made her point. "That we're honestly not all that great with computers. We need someone with a calm mind to direct us towards Bianca, as quickly as possible. Sa- I mean _Blitz_ is terrible with computers, and Looker is going to stay here to act as your personal guard. Silver and I are gonna storm the base, but we need someone here to operate the whole mission. Does that make sense?"

"… I'm not stubborn like Hilda." Cheren sighed. "I know where I'm most useful. So yes, what you're saying does make sense."

"Fantastic!" Lyra clapped her hands as Looker stepped forward.

"As you can see on the screen, Cheren," he pointed to the screen. "Silver's pokédex is connected to the world mapping program that was co-designed by Professor Oak and his Grandson, Gary Oak."

Cheren studied the programming, seeing a column to the left of the map with exactly eleven colored squares with corresponding… Titles, it seemed like. He didn't quite understand what the titles meant, but he assumed each was for a specific dexholder/ However, at the bottom… was three dexes with names; Hilda White, Bianca Steele, and Cheren Haku.

Again, it was puzzling… But not worth questioning. Immediately corresponding the colors to their names, white, black, and gray, respectively, Cheren typed in Castelia City, and waited for the map to come into focus.

"… What the…" Cheren blinked, then looked up at Silver. "Apologies, but are you sure that nothing is wrong with this program?"

"There shouldn't be." Silver grunted out. "I set it up as instructed. What're you going on about?"

"Nothing, it's just…" he trailed off, then sighed. Turning the computer to face them, he spoke. "It seems to be picking up mine and Bianca's dexes in the same area, which as you thought, were possibly taken by the same person."

"Okay, so what's wrong?" Lyra asked. "That's good, isn't it? That there's a lead on your friend?"

"Yes, but can someone explain to me why," he pointed specifically at the white dot. "Hildas pokédex is being picked up in almost exactly the same place when she should be in Liberty Island?"

"Liberty Island?" Blitz echoed.

"Yes." Cheren nodded. "Hilda and Black went to Liberty Island to search for Victini and planned to be there all day. Hilda shouldn't be back in Castelia, not without at least trying to contact us."

"Maybe someone stole her cross-watch-yamacallits?" Lyra offered. Cheren shook his head.

"No way. That was a gift from her Dad, Hilda would more likely maim you than to let you take off with a gift from her father."

"Her bag, then?"

"You assume that Hilda is someone who is easy to take advantage of." Cheren sighed, shaking his head. "I'll tell you one thing about Hilda when it comes to her personal belongings; she will _kill you_ if you try to take her stuff, and not because she's selfish, but because what she has is literally _all_ she has, and _all_ that she has earned. So before you come up with any other alternative, if it's saying Hilda's pokédex is there, it means that Hilda is there as well."

"What's this Hilda look like, then?" Silver finally asked after a moment

"Brown hair in a ponytail, blue eyes, around five-six… She's loud, so you'll hear her before you see her."

"Noted." Silver nodded once, then straightened his back. "We'll continue as planned. Cheren, there's a messenger bar there that should still be open to communications since the dexes' are operating on it's own private transmission. We'll just tack on that we need to look out for this Hilda girl as well."

"Agent Blitz," Looker spoke, catching Blitz's attention. "You're going with them. Don't let any harm befall them, understand?"

"I understand." Blitz nodded once, then turned. "Are you ready, Silver, Lyra?"

Both teens nodded once, following the agent in training out the door.

"You might want to send a message to Lyra." Looker suddenly spoke. Cheren snapped his gaze up, mouth parted. "A simple hello will do. Just to make sure the line of communication is open."

Cheren faltered as his hands hovered over the keyboard. Then, slowly, he typed out a single message.

 _Please… Save them._

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda glared at the man who sat across from her. Ghetsis's smile was peaceful, if not slightly crooked.

They were sitting across each other in a completely white room, a table in between them. She was led here after she rammed the door so much that there was a significant dent in it. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back still, and as far as she knew, everything she owned outside of the clothes on her body were _gone._

"Forgive the rough treatment," Ghetsis spoke eloquently. "But judging by your actions after you regained consciousness, I figured you would prove menacing to me if I let you free."

"Well, _excuse me,"_ she spat out in the most sickly sweet, sarcastic voice she could muster. "How _awful_ of me. Tell me, how would you react if you woke up handcuffed in a cell with two other people and all your shit missing?"

"Personally," Ghetsis met her gaze, his visible eye cool and calculating. "I wouldn't be ramming my shoulder against the door, over and over again." His eye shot to her now bruising right shoulder. "As it seems you've injured yourself."

"Like you care." Hilda hissed. "Where are my pokémon? And Victini?"

"They're safe." Ghetsis responded.

" _F*CKING TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE OR SO HELP ME…!"_ Hilda roared, forcefully trying to break the handcuffs keeping her hands bound, though all this did was caused her to jerk her sore shoulder and tilt her chair back and forth. "And drop your damn act! I can tell you're lying with that nice act, just like all you Plasma hypocrites!"

Slowly, Ghetsis chuckled under his breath. Slowly, that peaceful smile morphed into a sinister one, his single eye glimmering with darkness.

"So, then, you _did_ inherit the trait. Now then, what did he call it again?" the left side of his mouth quirked up a little higher. "… I believe it was the 'See-All-Tell-All Gene'?"

Hilda was silent as she let those words sink in. She bowed her head, slowly lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"… You're trying to figure out if I'm trying to fool you." Ghetsis folded his hands in front of him. "Trying to figure out where I got that information from."

"… F*ck off." she muttered defiantly.

"I also know your growing abilities, Hilda." Ghetsis continued. "I know you can hear what pokémon are saying… I know that you also show potential to wordlessly communicate with them… And I know exactly why you possess these abilities as well."

"… I said _f*ck off."_ she spoke a little louder, but Ghetsis only seemed amused. Slowly, he stood, coming around the table. "Come near me and I'll hurt you!"

"The reason," he ignored her, continuing to speak. "Is because you are an undeniable piece of a puzzle. Sage Gorm compared you to a weed, but in my opinion," he reached out with his left hand, gripping her lower jaw in an almost vice-like grip. "You are nothing less than a seed that has yet to bloom to her full potential. Soon, you will be a magnificent flower that will no doubt help sustain Unova for the rest of it's days. So in that sense, I will be the one to groom you to your full potential, just like our king… Do you understand, Miss Hilda White?"

Hilda did not like the look in this mans eye. His eye was glinting proudly, maniacally, almost as if he was drunk on the fact that he held power over her.

 _… To hell with that._

As the thought crossed her mind, she craned her head back a little, then spat right in Ghetsis's good eye. He immediately retreated in disgust, using the sleeve of his cloak to wipe the substance away.

"You'll never hold power over me, you understand?!" Hilda roared at him. "You'd have to kill me first, you lying, hypocritical, son of a b-"

Before she could finish, Ghetsis suddenly reared back his arm and punched her in the face. Actually in shock from the sheer strength of the hit, and the fact that it sent her and the chair she was handcuffed to tumbling to the floor, she was silent for a moment.

"… You are _never_ leaving Team Plasma." Ghetsis hissed. "The first lesson I will teach you is that actions have consequences."

"Do your worst, asshole." Hilda snapped back. "Whatever you give me, I can take and deliver back tenfold!"

"Really, now?" Ghetsis chuckled darkly, going to the door. Hilda watched, straining her neck from her position on the floor. The door opened, and two Plasma grunts were on the other side. "Retrieve the boy from the holding cell. Bring him to my office. That will be all."

"B-But he's still unconscious…" one grunt had the balls to speak up.

" _That_ ," Ghetsis snarled at them. "Will be _all_."

"The boy…" Hilda echoed as the grunts scurried away, then snarled. " _YOU SON OF A BITCH!"_

Hilda did not like Black. She loathed almost every aspect of his personality. But admittedly, there was a very, very tiny voice in her that thought, maybe, he was okay. The tiny voice that reminded her of him staying with her at the hospital. Of him not letting her die of Scolipede poisoning, or coming after her when she needed help. Of Mincinno, whom seemed to have an unbreakable bond with him…

And the undeniable fact that this _bullshit_ that she had to now had to deal with concerning Team Plasma has _nothing_ to do with him.

"I don't know what your damn issue is with me, but grow some balls and take me on, Arceus damn you! Black, and Bianca, for the f*cking matter, doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"You're wrong and right." Ghetsis spoke sternly, glancing over his shoulder at her. "They have _nothing_ to do with my plans for you. They're nothing more than collateral damage. At least the boy is, for one part. The girl… I have a different set of reasons for needing her. But…"

He chuckled darkly, turning back to the doorway.

"As long as you care about them, as long as you care about _anyone_ in this world, they will _always_ have 'something to do with this'," he threw her words back at her mockingly, as if he could hardly help himself. "… Just like your father."

"What?!" Hilda demanded. Ghetsis didn't respond, instead walking towards the door. "Dammit! Ghetsis! What the hell are you talking about?! What does my Dad have to do with anything?! Ghetsis! GHETSIS!"

As she roared and hollered for him to come back, the door simply shut behind him, leaving her, still down on the ground due to his punch, screaming for answers.

o.0.o.0.o

 **I promise, this is the last chapter before the real action starts in Castelia! God, all my plot threads are gonna come together so nicely… Not all of them, but maybe a few…**

 **But I just got so excited to write this that I cranked it out until four in the morning, lord help me. Plus… I love writing Ghetsis as a villain. Oh my god, he is probably the best villain for me to characterize.**

 **But anyways, my bed beckons me. Hope you enjoy, and leave a review if you would so please!**

 **Thank you~!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	19. Escape

**Congratulations on my new idea bouncer! Hopefully, they answer my PM soon. Until I have their permission to reveal who they are, I'm just gonna keep it a secret~.**

 **And now… Onto the chapter.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Drayden sighed as his Salamance began to near Castelia City. He knew that Iris was an excitable child, but he never expected her to steal his Druddigon and make for somewhere else. He had contacted his fellow gym leaders with hopes one of them would intercept the girl before she hurt herself or worse, and was surprised the first to contact him was Burgh, all the way in Castelia.

Somehow, that elusive girl had made her way to Castelia City.

Admittedly, a small part of him was impressed. He had expected her to take the main routes and end up in Icarus City first, but instead it seems like she cut straight down the middle by going through Challenger's Cave and through the unpopulated parts of Unova.

As he mulled over his young apprentice in solitary silence, his Salamance suddenly halted. Drayden lifted his head. Narrowing his gaze, he saw a strange, purplish field around the city, crackling with electricity.

"What on earth?"

The words grumbled from his throat as he instructed Salamance to circle the city. The forcefield seemed to cover the expense of all of Castelia, and seemed to be originating from the highest point. As he studied this, his Salamance roared. Inside the field, he saw a strange pokémon shooting towards the origin of the field, with two people riding on its back.

The details were vague, but on seemed like a rather willowy woman with black hair, and a disheveled man with long, dark brunette hair flying around his face. As they close in on their target, the entire field rippled, sparks of static flying, forcing Drayden to retreat unless he wanted to sustain injuries.

"What…" he glanced at the scene again, then widened his eyes in shock as he spotted a familiar head of dark purple hair upon a _very_ familiar Druddigon. " _On earth…?"_

o.0.o.0.o

Lyra smiled softly at the message that Cheren had sent her. Even if he seemed to put up a cool and calm front, he was honestly very sweet… Almost like someone else that she knew.

"Lyra, we can't afford to loose time." Silver muttered as they made it to the lobby of the hospital that they had decidedly set up base in.

"I know." Lyra nodded once with determination. As nurses and doctors rushed by, her heart ached with sadness. Though most people seemed inconvenienced by the lack of power or signal, here, and in the pokémon center, lives were at risk.

"Excuse me!" Sara suddenly grabbed a doctor passing by. He looked particularly stressed, almost exasperated.

"Apologies, young lady," he spoke with an air of franticness, unable to even cover it up. "I need to find a spare electric type right now, my patient-"

"Here." Sara suddenly pushed a pokéball into his hand. "This is my Emolga, named Risu. Take her and use her however you need. I've already explained the situation, and she's an eager pokémon. Loves to help."

"No, I-"

"I'm fine, your patients are not." Sara insisted. "Risu is willing to help, please return her to my partner. He's currently guarding a patient in room 532 of the Emergency Department. I promise you, power will be back on soon."

The doctor looked all to relieved, almost immediately taking the pokéball from her hand.

"Thank you so much Miss-"

"Blitz." Sara responded, turning on her heel, not bothering to wait for him to finish.

"… I'm going to be honest." Lyra spoke softly as she observed Sara's interactions. Sara stepped in the elevator beside them. "You sure have changed. I remember a time when you didn't think codenames were all that important…"

"I cam to the realization that I am training to be an international agent." Sara spoke seriously. "I… need to treat my training and position with more respect. Then, I won't fail again."

A heavy silence fell over them as they descended to the bottom floor. Lyra couldn't help but bite her lip sadly. To her, it was almost as if Sara had completely changed. She was less flighty, more serious… She smiled less, and apparently, was sleeping less too, if the dark circles under her eyes was any indication. Her gaze slowly trailed to Silver, who hadn't said a word.

He wasn't doing to well since Vale died either. Just as Lyra was certain he was starting to open up more and more to her, there were parts of him that he refused to speak of. He hadn't said a word about Vale since she died until he apparently saw her here in Unova. Plus, all throughout their journey from Johto to Unova, Silver was waking up with night terrors. He tried to and was desperate to hide it, but Lyra herself knew what was going on.

Both of them had been impacted pretty badly from Vale's death.

And Lyra was so worried. Because they both had similar motives; take revenge on Mask… Or Ghetsis, if Silver was correct about his suspicions. But then what? Silver was already irreparably scarred from Mask, and Sara was sinking slower and slower into her own depression and self-loathing. Would… would eliminating the threat of Mask be the cure for both of them? Or would they continue to spiral downwards until there was no coming back?

"… At least by doing this, we might get a little more ahead." Lyra spoke softly. "Everything will be okay."

"It has to be." Silver suddenly spoke. "This city probably won't sustain itself more than four days."

"Four days without power?" Lyra gawked. "How?"

"This would also mean four days without communication, proper refrigeration, no electronic stoves, microwaves, light…" Sara trailed off. "Not to mention the hospitals will be filling up if this signal or whatever is blocking the ability to charge medical electronic devices. So those who need to use a device from day to day life, such as a diabetic glucose monitor or a sleep apnea device, will need to take up space so that their medical conditions don't kill them. How long will it take for people to become insane with lack of food and convenience? So there's three possible outcomes if Team Plasma isn't stopped…"

"Everyone in Castelia folds to their will, they wise up and turn on Team Plasma, or they turn on each other and tear the city apart." Silver shook his head. "If they go with the first or last option, Ghetsis will be pleased. And by the time they get their act together to take Team Plasma out, Ghetsis will be long gone… with whatever he's trying to hide."

"Oh Arceus…" Lyra murmured. "Then we don't have much time to loose, then."

"… It doesn't matter either way." Silver muttered cryptically. "When it comes to Mask… Ghetsis, we're always going to be losing time."

"Which is why we should not hesitate to act." Sara spoke with a tone of authority. "This is why we're acting on this so quickly… Honestly, it was just by mere luck that you managed to find us."

With that, the doors of the elevator beeped open, only for them to be met with the yelling of a young girl.

"No, Burgh! I'm coming with you! I wanna help!"

"And I'm telling you the best way you can help is to _stay here-"_

"No!"

"Burgh, Iris," Sara walked forward, as if she knew these people, speaking casually. "What's going on?"

"As Gym Leader, I'm going to come with you to infiltrate Team Plasma's base. However, Iris is insisting she come as well, and I can't allow that."

"But why not?!" Iris demanded. "I have a pokémon and I've been getting trained by my grandpa and everything!"

"But you're _fourteen-"_

"Is that not old enough to have a license?" Lyra suddenly asked, cocking her head. Iris simply cocked her head.

"… You're not to bright, are you?" she finally spoke.

"Aren't you a rude brat." Silver suddenly stood taller. Iris, hardly effected, boldly met his gaze.

"Lyra and Silver aren't from Unova." Sara cut in for them. "So forgive them if they don't know what the license age is in this country."

"Blitz is right." Lyra smiled, stepping in front of Silver and lightly pushing him back. "We're from Johto, so we got our licenses at fourteen."

"...That actually makes sense." Burgh suddenly spoke. "I honestly could tell by the way you walked that you weren't from Unova."

"The way we… walked?" Silver echoed.

"Yes." Burgh nodded once, waving his hand flippantly through the air. "Call it an artist's eye or what have you."

"Anyways," Lyra smiled sweetly at Iris. "If you can't even battle legally, it might be best for you to stay here. What we're going to do is very dangerous, and-"

"I'm not a little kid!" Iris stomped her foot in a rather immature manner, cutting Lyra off. "I can fight, my Grandpa is training me and-"

"You're a liability." Silver suddenly snapped, apparently fed up with her antics. "And if you come with us, you'll be nothing less than a burden. We have an almost guaranteed hostage situation to deal with, alongside the fact that this city is going to come crumbling in as soon as a few hours."

"You don't get it!" Iris snapped at him. "I'm not like normal trainers, I'm a dragon-type prodigy, which is why I'm training now under my Grandpa-"

"Silver!"

"Hey!"

Both Lyra's and Burgh's words mixed together as Silver grabbed Iris by the collar of her shirt and lifted the petite girl clear off her feet. Defiantly, she began to kick at Silver, but he simply held fast, glaring as he spoke.

"Unluckily for you," he growled out. "The man who we suspect is a part of Team Plasma _adores_ prodigies. So much so that he'll pluck them right out from under the noses of their families, torment and hurt them until they're submissive, and make them into glorified weapons, like marionettes on strings. And do you want to know what he does if one of his little puppets goes against his orders? _They're trashed._ So with that information,"

Silver released his grip and let Iris drop. She landed skillfully on her feet, though backed away slightly.

"What _purpose_ could you possibly serve us?"

Iris's lip trembled for a moment, then she squeezed her hands tightly into fists and turned on her heel.

"You're a jerk!" she screamed over her shoulder as she ran away in tears.

"Silver…" Lyra said softly, reaching out and gripping his arm.

It's been a long time since she saw Silver loose his patience so quickly like that, especially with someone younger than himself. Though Silver typically lacked patience for other peoples antics, he usually allowed herself or someone else to talk them out of it before he ever had to intervene…

"I'm not about to stand here and argue with a petulant _child_ when she can't even legally battle." Silver didn't make an excuse, per usual. He simply turned and walked forward.

Lyra looked to Sara. She honestly expected her to laugh it off or make a joke about his attitude, but she didn't say a word. She simply followed after Silver. Slowly, Lyra bowed her head.

"Iris will be fine." Burgh suddenly cut in. "I don't think he had ill intentions towards her when he said that. He just wanted to scare her into staying put."

"I know." Lyra whispered. "I'm just surprised, he usually lets me deal with things like that… Normally he's not so impatient…"

"… I'm guessing that's what trauma does to a person." Burgh crossed his arms for a moment, tapping his fingers against his forearms in contemplation. Lyra simply gawked, but upon noticing, Burgh again waved his hand through the air in a flippant manner. "I am an artist and gym leader in a particularly large city. Did my ability to read people surprise you?"

"… No, not really." Lyra finally admitted. Before Burgh could speak further, Lyra plastered on a grin and turned to him. "Silver's a really determined person, so unless you wanna get left behind, we should try to catch up to him."

o.0.o.0.o

Iris had clamored her way to the rooftop, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tears that had gathered.

"Stupid jerk." she sniffled. She was strong! Her grandpa said she was a prodigy, said she was incredibly strong for her age… And if it was the event of a crisis, would the police really look so hard on her for not having a license?

She looked up to the sky with hopes to find comfort with the clouds, but further pouted when she realized that the sky was covered by the forcefield around the city.

"Darn…" she muttered. Bowing her head, she let out a small sigh, about to give up, when suddenly, an idea struck her.

There had to be a _source_ to the field, right?

Maybe, she could find the source and get rid of the field.

 _Technically_ she wasn't allowed to legally battle trainers for profit or in competitive manner. Well, that and own more than one pokémon, but Drudigon was her Grandpa's, and she was just _borrowing_ it _._ Plus, she was allowed to battle wild pokémon, she just wasn't covered under travelers insurance if she got hurt.

So in that sense, she _was perfectly fine_ to track down the maybe pokémon source of the field, and save the city.

"Drudigon!" she grinned, tossing the pokéball in the air, satisfied with her decision. "Come on, we've got a city to save!"

o.0.o.0.o

"C'mon Black, _please_ wake up…"

Black suppressed the urge to twitch as Bianca began to poke at his face again. In truth, he had regained consciousness quite some time ago, at least long enough ago to have his ears bear witness to Hilda and Bianca's respective tantrums.

As soon as Hilda regained consciousness, she made sure the world _knew._ After demanding from Bianca why she was here, as if it made a difference, because Bianca had no clue either way, Hilda then proceeded to stand, and flipped him onto his side. This, at least, was something Black felt a little gratitude for. Breathing was not exactly an easy task when his face is pressed against tile floor.

She called him by everything she could think of. Asswipe, son of a bitch, this and that and everything, until she seemed to cool off for a second and called him by his name.

Not willing to risk blowing his act, Black continued to feign unconsciousness. And it was at that moment that Hilda, simply put, exploded.

In a it of uncontrollable rage, Hilda continually seemed to ram herself into into what Black assumed was the door. This, coupled with Bianca's incessant sobbing and begging her to stop, was beginning to annoy him to the point where he just wanted to knock both of them out so he could focus in silence.

Eventually, someone took care of one problem for him. The door opened, and Hilda began roaring insults she kept especially for Team Plasma. Hypocrites, thieves, liars… Along with some choice curses. Black isn't sure what exactly happened, but there was a scuffle, which Hilda apparently lost, and she was carted out, screaming and swearing all the way.

For the next few minutes, Bianca remained whimpering and hiccuping in the corner. Eventually, she moved right next to him, and began to continually poke at his cheek, trying to get him to wake up.

 _Arceus help the sod who's injured and she's the only person within a thirty foot radius._

That thought was the only thing that kept him from _permanently relieving_ Bianca of her annoying digit. Even if she was presumably handcuffed like he was, even if she was nothing more than a dense, oversheltered girl who's survived strictly on her fathers dime…

 _Surely_ she had to know that continually jabbing her finger into an unconscious person's face wasn't going to help him, right?!

Though he could feel his shoulders tensing from every subsequent poke to his face, Black let the tension ease completely when he heard the door open. Someone was here, and for what reason, he didn't have a clue. What he did know was that someone had grabbed him by his shoulders. Completely relaxing his body, his head lolled forward and his legs dragged behind him as whomever was attempting to move him tried to pick him up.

"Wait, where are you taking him?!" Bianca exclaimed. "He hasn't woken up yet, why are you-"

They didn't bother to give her an answer as the door shut behind them. He heard an electronic beep, perhaps indicating an electronic lock, then they continued to drag him down the hallway.

"This doesn't feel right…" a male voice whispered meekly under his breath.

"We don't get a choice in the matter." This time it was a female voice, snapping the response back. "Would you rather face Lord Ghetsis yourself?"

The meeker man didn't say a word, continuing to drag him down the hallway. There was a heavy, tense silence as they continued along.

"Why do you suppose he's still unconscious?" the male grunt finally asked. "The girl woke up relatively quickly after we put her in the holding cell…"

"I heard through the grapevine that the two of the Triad had to restrain him." the woman spoke. "They couldn't even apply the chloroform without one holding him down."

" _He_ was the fighter?" the male exclaimed. "With the ruckus that girl was causing, I would have assumed she put up a bigger fight."

As she said this, Black felt his legs drag over the edge of a gap. Doors suddenly slid shut with a ding, and he realized they seemed to be in an elevator. The jerk as they began to ascend proved his suspicious.

"One would like to think, given the reports we have on both of them" the female muttered.

"One most certainly would." Black suddenly grinned. Before both could respond, he ripped himself free from the females grasp and slammed the male into the wall.

"You-" the female lunged, grabbing hold of his shoulders.

Before she could pin him against the closed elevator doors, Black quickly twisted his shoulder out of her grasp and broke free. Stepping back, he brought his knee up and hit her in the stomach, and while she hunched over, lifted his leg and sent her sprawling on her back with a kick to the shoulder.

"Honestly," he lowered his leg and went towards the fallen grunt. Immediately, he had her pinned, sitting on her chest and using his feet to anchor her arms to the ground. "This Ghetsis person must think he's so smart, having everything all planned out like this…"

It all happened so quickly that it they didn't even make it to the next floor. Black stole a momentary glance at the floor they were taking him too… The top floor, and it seemed they had placed their prison cell in the basement.

He had very little time to get out of this.

"So I think I thoroughly proved I'm very lethal, even with these handcuffs." Black spoke, sitting back on the woman's stomach. The male was meekly cowering against the wall. He looked utterly flabbergasted, which made Black wonder if he's never seen people fight before. "Anyways… You there… Take off your Plasma overcoat and unlock these handcuffs, or I'm going to bite this woman's ear off."

"Wh-What?!" the man stuttered out. Black simply shrugged.

"Alright then," he hunched over slightly hovering over the grunts face. "Your choice."

o.0.o.0.o

Vale narrowed her eyes at the pokémon that was seemingly controlling the forcefield, standing atop the highest building within Castelia. All around it was a plethora of strange-looking pokémon. There seemed to be a plethora of smaller pokémon all led by what Vale assumed was their next evolution.

"What are those pokémon?" she murmured under her breath.

"Not from Unova?" Gray suddenly clapped her on the shoulder with a didn't answer "No need to worry about it. Those little ones there, those are pokémon called Elektrik. And that big one is an Elektross. They're electric types. And that black pokémon right there, that's a Gothitelle, a psychic type."

"So Gothitelle is probably casting the field," Vale murmured. "And those other pokémon are probably to keep fliers from coming up here…"

"The Elektross evolution line is particularly nasty," Gray sighed, crossing his arms. "They aren't weak to any particular type, so you kinda just have to hit 'em with all you've got. But my Tropius will be fine," he patted Tropius's back. "Even though she's part flying type, she's part grass, so electric type moves won't effect her as badly."

"Yes, but what about _us?"_ Vale demanded. "We're not exactly electric resistant."

"Simple, we fight!" Gray grinned. "And we keep going until the field is down!"

Gripping a pokéball in his hand, he suddenly swooped towards the pokémon. Getting in close, he suddenly gripped her bicep. Immediately, Vale tensed, gripping his wrist and glaring at him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Preparing you!" with a grin, Gray suddenly swooped in low, close to Gothitelle, and literally _threw her_ off of Tropius. Vale fell into a barrel role, coming to her feet as she stopped, staring face to face with Gothitelle. "Vale, get ready to deal with Gothitelle! I'll focus on everything else!"

As if to prove his point, he suddenly attacked some of the Elektrik's.

Vale turned towards Gothitelle, and saw Elektross slithering menacingly around it. Flicking her gaze around, Vale pursed her lips.

Enlarging two pokéballs in her hands, she stared down her opponents. She wasn't going to be getting around to Gothitelle until Electross was gone.

"Audino, Cottenee, Mienfoo, focus on Electross!" she ordered, sending the three out. Silently, quietly, she felt Joltik pop out of his pokéball, slowly crawling up her arm until he was perched on her shoulder, hidden by her hair. "Joltik, I don't expect you to defeat Gothitelle, but I need you to distract her long enough for her to completely loose focus on the field."

Letting out a little chirp like he understood, Joltik discreetly crawled down her back and leg, hitting the ground and scurrying off on his mission.

o.0.o.0.o

Adjusting the Plasma hood on his head, Black glanced at the two grunts. The female was glaring venomously at him, while the male meekly bowed his head.

In truth, he didn't have to attempt to bit the woman's ear off, considering that the male grunt had dropped his overcoat and was unlocking his handcuffs within seconds of his threat. With his hands free, he promptly used his positioning to his advantage, and used his handcuffs to fasten the female grunt to the railing. Taking a similar pair from her belt, along with her keycard, he turned to the male grunt, only to find him sitting across the elevator with his hands up, like the spineless fool he was.

"Now then," slamming his foot right next to the male grunts head, he continued speaking. "Before I start, how are you communicating with the others?"

"E-Earpieces!" the stuttered out. Satisfied with his answer, Black plucked his earpiece from his ear and turned it off. Then, he approached the female, doing the same.

"Where are my pokémon, and where is Hilda?" he asked, turning back to the male.

"H-Hilda?"

"Brown hair in a ponytail, sixteen year old girl, mouth that would have the saints rolling over in their graves." Black rattled off. "Easy enough, right? Where is she?"

"I-I don't-"

"Oh, I think you _do_ know," Black taunted, bringing his foot down and placing it on the grunts ankle. "So how many broken bones will you need to go through before you decide to cut out your lies?"

"Your pokémon are in the liberated sanction on the eight floor." the female grunt suddenly spoke up. "As for Hilda, I don't know where she is right now."

Black slowly turned towards her, but she met his gaze boldly.

"And before you threaten to maim us again, I can promise this Hilda person is safe and she has not left the building… yet."

"Yet." Black echoed. "Explain that."

"… I'm only going off rumors," the man suddenly spoke. "But… Rumor has it that Hilda possesses the same qualities and abilities as our king. She has the traits of a _hero,_ just like our king."

"So naturally, Lord Ghetsis would have taken interest in her." the female grunt scoffed.

"So you kidnapped us based on a senseless rumor?"

"Lord Ghetsis does things in a very intentional manner." the female grunt responded. "You're here for a reason, young man. And if you're not sure as to why you're here, then Lord Ghetsis most certainly is."

"You have to understand…" the male grunt whispered, trembling. "Lord Ghetsis, he…"

"Don't."

An icy tension fell over the room as the female grunt cut off her male companion. Black turned, having gotten enough information from them, and clamored up onto the railing, towards the escape hatch on the ceiling.

"What in Reshriham's name are you doing?" the female grunt demanded. Punching the escape hatch through, Black hopped back down.

"… Goodnight." he said simply, gripping the female grunt by her hair and slamming the side of her head into the wall. Her entire body shuddered, then her head lolled forward, unconscious. He repeated the same process with the male grunt, then put his earpiece in his ear, turning it back on. Then, turning to the elevator buttons, he pressed every single one.

"… Attention to all my fellow comrades," Black spoke with a smirk as the elevator door opened. Slipping out and sauntering down the hallway, he continued. "The male prisoner in mid transportation has escaped. I have just come upon his escorts in the elevator, tied up and unconscious. The escape shaft is open. I repeat, the male prisoner in mid transportation has escaped."

o.0.o.0.o

 **I was actually going to make this chapter a little longer, but I decided that was a nice place to end it on. A little bit more of Black showed through in this chapter… Who oh who could he really be?**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	20. Veritas

**Okay, this chapter is gonna be longer than normal, but hopefully very deep and exciting!**

 **Also, I'm getting my life together! I've decided this story(along with a Fire Emblem collab) will be my main focus. So with the help of my new idea bouncer, I'm going to try to update this story WEEKLY, the earliest on Friday evening and the latest on Monday evening. At least until classes start up again.**

 **My long term goal is to finish this by the end of 2018.**

 **I'll probably restate this in the ends author notes, along with a very special request from all you reviewers! So pay attention!**

 **Thank you!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight(AKA Agent Blitz) and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

"… I get you, little buddy." Gray smiled, allowing one of the Elektrik to twist up his arm. "In truth, I'm not a fan of fighting either. I can take you away from this life, though… But in return, I need you to face your fears one more time, and take me to where he's keeping my daughter."

"... _Daughter?"_ Elektrik asked after a pause.

"She doesn't look much like me, but she has the same ability I have… Same as this so-called king that Ghetsis keeps talking about."

" _… I'm aware… of a girl like that."_

"Then help me." Gray insisted. "Help me, and no one will hurt you ever again."

Elektrik simply stared at Gray for a long time, then nodded once to confirm his loyalty. Gray turned to Vale, pursing his lips. Though she seemed to have low level pokémon, she seemed to be handling herself rather well.

"Vale! I'm going to head to the main base!" Gray exclaimed, running to the edge of the building.

"What?!" Vale exclaimed, turning back. The girl who joined the battle partway through jumped in.

"Don't get distracted!" she exclaimed. "We're so close-!"

Vale ground her teeth and shot out another order. Gray made a running start and leapt off the building, his Tropius catching him mid-air.

"Alright Tropius, listen to Elektrik, and follow where he leads us!"

o.0.o.0.o

"Father, the progress in Castelia is going smoothly?"

"Yes," Ghetsis glanced at the video-chat out of the corner of his eye. N was on the other end, happily lapping up every word that he spoke. "Everything is running smoothly. Even if there was a mass power outage right now, that's actually working to our advantage. The lack of power forces the citizens to pay more attention to us."

"Zekrom and Reshriham must have been looking down on us today." N smiled. Ghetsis himself forced out a smile, turning his attention away from N and back onto the laptop that was monitoring the entire plan.

Though he had shut down the power in all of Castelia, Ghetsis had been especially careful about making sure that communications with his agents across the city was still open, using a special code to get around the blockage. Flipping through camera feed, Ghetsis scowled. The grunts were running around like maniacs, and the boy wasn't in the holding cell. That indicated that he was in mid transport…

Scowling, he went back to where Josiah Steele's daughter sat. She was still whimpering in the corner, when suddenly, the door opened.

… Something was being hidden from him. He didn't know what, but if they were transporting the girl away…

"Father, when do you plan to recall the knights and come home?"

Almost forgetting that N was still speaking with him, Ghetsis internally cursed. He almost let his slight frustration overwhelm him…

Turning back to N, he put on a peaceful smile.

"We planned to occupy the city only for a few hours, but considering that this power outage is working to our advantage, we plan to stay in Castelia until the power comes back up."

N smiled, opening his mouth to speak, when suddenly, his Zoura leapt up and began nuzzling into his cheek. He then openly laughed, talking quickly to the pokémon. Taking Zoura's distraction, Ghetsis pressed his earpiece. Someone was trying to call him directly…

Pulling up the call on the monitor, Ghetsis saw that it was Hun, looking a little beat up and under pressure.

"Sire," she spoke to him respectfully. Her tone was calm, but there was an edge to her voice. Either irritated… Or nervous. She couldn't tell. "Apologies, but we're experiencing troubles with the barrier. Gothitelle, Electross, and the Elektrik are under attack."

Ghetsis glanced at N out of the corner of his eye. He seemed oblivious still. In fact, he moved off screen, playfully distracting Zoura with various toys strewn about.

"State the attackers, and quickly." Ghetsis spoke, moving through the cameras until he came across the one positioned near the pokémon he had stationed to keep the barrier up. There, he saw two familiar faces.

"There were three attackers. One, a male, has left the premises on a Tropius."

"… A Tropius." Ghetsis echoed.

"The other two is a small girl… And Vale."

"Vale?" N suddenly asked. Ghetsis flinched, glancing at the boy. His expression was hard to place. Conflicted… Maybe haunted. "Father… What does she mean…"

"Nothing, N." Ghetsis spoke sharply.

He was aware of the small friendship between Vale and N, budding back when they were both children. Ghetsis was also aware… that N knew that Vale was still alive, and this was troubling him, because Ghetsis couldn't be sure _what_ effects that Vale was having on N. So far, N hardly seemed shaken, not moving once from his cause. This could also be explained that N was putting on an act, a facade, him _pretending and lying_ about being unaware of Vale living.

He was not like Hilda, bound by speaking only the truth. Though as a child of ideals… He is bound by the idea of there being good in everyone, and that he _can_ create the ideal world… Even going so far as beliving that he can "fix" _people_ to fit his _ideal…_ Ghetsis had to work a majority of his life to keep N away from Vale for fear of what human contact outside of himself would do to him… And he was sure that he had shown N that Vale was broken beyond repair, could never hold a torch to any sort of ideal that he had...

But another incident like when she saved him from oncoming traffic… Could it shake the boys resolve? Prove to him that she could be fixed and have a place in his ideal paradise?

Rubbing his pulsing temple, he turned back to N.

"N, we appear to be having trouble. Some citizens are violently fighting against our protests, I must deal with this."

"Father, wait! What's going on-"

Ghetsis hung up with his son, turning back to the camera. There, he caught a clear picture of Vale and a familiar girl. He knew who she was, Iris Alexander, adopted child of Drayden Alexander and supposed dragon prodigy. Ghetsis hasn't the slightest idea why the girl was here, but he supposed that if the opportunity presented itself…

"Hun, listen carefully," Ghetsis continued the conversation with her as he flicked to the camera outside the building. There, in the distance, Ghetsis spotted _him_ approaching. A crooked smirk coming to his face, he continued. "Forget about the forcefield. Forget about the man. He's coming to me-"

"Is that wise?" Hun suddenly spoke. "I can intercept him-"

"Foolish woman." Ghetsis spat. "You could barely handle those second rate dexholders in Johto. You could barely handle the _Treasurer._ You could _never_ handle someone at the level that is Rowan Veritas. Keep Vale and Iris occupied. Keep them there, even if they tear down the barrier."

Standing, he prepared to hand up the call.

" _I_ will deal with Rowan."

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda was internally cursing as she struggled to get into a sitting position, though the closest that she got was tilting the chair on it's side.

"Son of a bitch…" Hilda hissed as she struggled to get her lugs under her to stand upright, but she was struggling considering this chair was so _heavy._ "GHETSIS! Damn you, I know you can hear me! When I get out of here, I'll make you regret this!"

This isn't the first time she screamed at him, but when her voice cracked from the yell, she came to the realization that she _maybe_ yelled a little to much. Groaning slightly, she continued jerking at the cuffs, though it did little to help. She couldn't even stand herself upright, damn it all…

"I bet the son of a bitch is laughing at me…" she muttered under her breath. "Asshole…"

Suddenly, the door opened, and Hilda strained her neck to see who was coming in. She let out a huff as she saw a pair of Plasma grunts walk in. They were moving quickly, and one seemed more nervous than the other. She, judging by her figure, was nervously glancing around while the male walked calmly. Both refused to meet her gaze.

"Touch me and I swear you're loosing all your fingers!" Hilda snapped at the male while the female stood guard.

However, the male simply lifted her so she was upright, and went behind her. Hilda sat stiffly as he began fiddling with the handcuffs. within seconds, however, they fell, and then…

"Damned hypocrites!" she roared, jumping free and grabbing the chair. As soon as she did so, she whirled around and hurled it at the male. The female let out a yelp of fear, but Hilda didn't bother with her. She bolted for the door and ran.

Bolting around the corner, she skidded down the hall.

"Go to the bottom floor, help is there!" Hilda heard the male shout to his accomplice. "I'll go after Hilda!"

Hilda ground her teeth together.

Like hell… Like hell she was gonna get caught again!

o.0.o.0.o

"Where do they keep coming from?!" Silver couldn't help but exclaim as more grunts poured from the elevator. Truly, his Feraligator was handling it fine in long sweeps, but considering it was four against dozens of grunts, it was becoming increasingly _annoying._

"Um, not to make anyone nervous," Sara's tone took on a sudden, unfamiliar tone of worry and concern. "But… But I'm more well rounded for hand to hand human combat! I can't handle battles of this intensity!"

Burgh ordered his Swadloon to use string shot, entangling their foes.

"Sara, cut in now and get them while they're weak!" Burgh ordered. "Leavanny, assist Escavalier and Sawk!"

"Yume, Hypnosis!" Sara suddenly shouted out, addressing her Musharna. Turning to Sawk, she continued. "Essho, work with Leavanny!"

Silver turned his gaze to Lyra, and she met his eyes. Her brow was furrowed in worry, as if she was finding the situation odd. Then, it struck Silver.

"They're stalling us!" he shouted back.

"Took you long enough!" a female grunt suddenly taunted. "For a boy who supposedly trained under our Lord Ghetsis, you certainly are slow!"

"Trained-?!" Burgh couldn't help but exclaimed. Silver shot him a scathing glare.

"Silver wasn't lying," Sara quickly cut in, cathing Burgh's attention. "About a _certain suspect_ kidnapping prodigies. _Silver_ just seems to be the only one lucky enough toe escape."

Burgh met his gaze again, and Silver turned his eyes forward. He didn't need the judgement of flamboyant gym leader… Not in the slightest.

"You're never getting those trainers back!" the grunt continued. "Lord Ghetsis has most likely already devised a plan for escape with them in tow!"

"To a certain extent," Lyra spoke up slightly. "I can understand Bianca… But you said trainers… Do you have Hilda as well?"

"Hilda and her traveling companion!" another grunt spoke. "Sometimes, people do not bend easily to Lord Ghetsis's will so they need a little… _encouragement."_

"I don't understand." Sara suddenly shook her head. "Cheren never mentioned an additional travel companion, only him, Bianca, and Hilda…"

"I think I know who they're talking about." Burgh shot them a suspicious look. "When I first met Hilda, Bianca, and Cheren, they were in Nacrene City. With them was a brunette boy around their age wearing a blue hoodie. He went by the name Black… Is this the mysterious 'traveling companion'?"

"Maybe, maybe not." the grunts further taunted. "He was with her when we apprehended them on Liberty Island."

Silver couldn't help but feel frustrated. This just got a whole lot more complicated. They had an idea of why Hilda and Bianca were important, if not for ransom, but for their unofficial dexholder standing… This 'Black' person was completely irrelevant, possibly innocent.

"… Knights, stand down."

A new, familiar voice echoed over the room. There was a tenseness in the air. Without even noticing, the elevator doors had opened, and the grunts parted down the middle, bowing respectfully.

"Gym Leader Burgh," Ghetsis crossed his left arm over his chest and bowed in an almost mocking manner. "A pleasure to see you."

His eye flicked to Silver, and silver felt his entire form tense. In truth… This was the first time he ever looked Mask in the eye. And this… That single eye was unsettling, like Ghetsis had him pinned in a moment, like he could predict everything that he could do, anything he had planned.

"Evolver," his eye flicked to Lyra. "Treasurer."

Finally, his gaze settled on Sara.

"You… I don't know you." Ghetsis sighed, shaking his head. "But then again, maybe you're just so unimportant to me I didn't even bother to know who you are. Typically I remember someone _relevant_ or _threatening_."

"I'm Agent Blitz," Sara answered cooly, eyes sharp and threatening. "Looker and I… we will be the end of you!"

"Blitz and Looker…" Ghetsis echoed, the chuckled under his breath. "Ah, I remember now. Your pathetic attempts to 'rescue' my apprentices brought a minor spark of amusement to my life. … Tell me, did you manage to save your precious Felicity… Sara?"

Sara's nostrils flared as she reeled back like she had been smacked. Settled that Sara would do no more, Ghetsis finally turned his gaze back to Burgh.

"Gym Leader Burgh, I'm assuming you're here to bow in the name of our king."

"I am not." Burgh shot back cooly. Placing a hand over his heart, he smiled. "It's not exactly within my _character_ to bow to criminals. So sorry!"

"I see…" Ghetsis shook his head. "Then what, exactly are you here for?"

"I want to understand something." Burgh spoke slowly. "At some times you portray yourself peacefully, such as in Accumula and Nimbassa, where you're doing sit-in in protest of training pokémon. Yet now, you're forcefully taking over my city… So what are you?"

"… We follow the ideals of our king." Ghetsis spoke simply, vaguely. "Anyways, Gym Leader, you are the epitome of everything we stand against. Capturing pokémon and forcing them to fight each other, against their will, just to overcome your ludicrous challenge to obtain fame and recognition… Even if we make a small step, having you admit you agree with us, even forced, will be beneficial towards moving the people of Unova in a better direction… Our king's _ideal_ direction."

The tenseness in the air was thick, though it was suddenly sliced in half with the sound of doors sliding open. Ghetsis's gaze suddenly turned to something Silver couldn't place. Recognition… maybe amusement… But something stranger. Like… He had _accomplished_ something.

Turning to look over his shoulder, Silver saw a rather scruffy looking man walking in. His jeans were torn and he was wearing a simple white T-shirt with a black jacket. His dark brown hair was long, falling past his shoulders and clearly wind-blown, and he was unshaven. His expression was calm, perhaps analytical… But otherwise, nothing.

Simply, he looked like the complete opposite in appearance to Ghetsis. He was simple and ragged, while Ghetsis was elaborate and neat.

"Ghetsis." he addressed Ghetsis simply.

"Rowan." Ghetsis responded.

"Aw man," the man, Rowan, laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're still calling me that? It's been a while since someone addressed me as Rowan..."

"Do you have another name I should be calling you?"

"… Nah. I don't think someone like you should call me by my nickname."

Rowan glanced around, both hands sliding back to his pocket. A strange pokémon slithered up his arm and cowered behind his long hair. Ghetsis did not fail to miss this.

"I see you've been interfering with my barrier. Did that Elektrik follow you here?"

"More like I followed him." Rowan laughed, reaching up and rubbing the top of the Elektrik's head.

"… It's been thirteen years," Ghetsis said slowly, laughing under his breath. "I've wasted so much _time_ , so many _resources,_ so many _agents_ and so much _money_ trying to track you down… And I come to find out that you've hidden your _daughter_ here, in Unova, in the most unimpressive, pathetic little town that I ever did see. And that _shack_ you've held her up in? Hardly fit for who she is…"

Rowan was quiet for a moment, then he spoke.

"I wasn't holding her up-"

"You were hiding her, I know." Ghetsis dismissed his response with a wave of his hand. "You never mentioned her in all our years of partnership, then after three years, I got word you left Unova. In actuality, you spent those three years securing a place for her, put her somewhere where I would never think to look, then ran around like a maniac, jumping from region to region so I would continue looking for her… Yet here you are. What are the _odds_ that I would find you _and_ your daughter in this city? Why, after so many years, did you come back now?"

"… Call it a parents instinct." Rowan spoke slowly. "Don't get me wrong, my daughter's a load of trouble, and she can handle herself… But I've still gotta protect her from the likes of you."

There was a long, tense silence.

"So, something has been bothering me with you…" Rowan finally spoke. "What _is_ Team Plasma's guiding principle? "Take what you want from people"… "Bend people to my will through force and inconvenience"?"

"… Who are you?" Silver finally asked. Rowan shot him a look, then smiled.

"As long as your on Hilda's side, I'm on your side too. Promise."

"You look skeptical, Silver." Ghetsis suddenly spoke. "You can trust anything Rowan says. Due to his family line, he's _incapable_ of lying."

"Incapable of lying…" Lyra echoed in awe, perhaps skepticism. "… Really?"

"I wouldn't expect you two to be familiar with the legend of Unova." Ghetsis smiled. "In truth, many millennia ago, the legendary Zekrom and Reshriham appeared before two brothers, one who sought the ideal way to knit together warring people, and the other who thought the true way to do so. They fought for power, and then, one brother became victorious and ruled over a land that we now know as Unova."

"What he's not telling you," Rowan suddenly cut in. "Was that when one brother won, the other died. However, their children picked up where the fight left off for the throne of Unova. These fights… These wars continued until the leftover host of Zekrom and Reshriham, Kyreum, put an end to the fighting by sealing away the two legends. After this, Kyreum banished the two descendants to separate ends of Unova, never to meet. Then, the story fell into oblivion, falling into legend… And here we are today."

"But it's not a legend." Ghetsis insisted. "It's not, because I have living proof of the original king's descendants within this building… Standing right here in this room."

"That's impossible." Burgh shook his head. "Those families are just legends!"

"Then ask Rowan for his last name. Ask him for his daughters _true_ name. He can't lie, and he won't."

"… Then what is it?" Silver finally asked. "If we're not going to make any progress until you reveal it, what's your name?"

"Well, my full name is Rowan Veritas." Rowan shrugged, as if the information was unimportant. "Though no one calls me that anymore."

"Now then," Ghetsis demanded. "Gym Leader Burgh, what say you?"

Everyone turned their gaze to Burgh, except for Rowan. He kept his gaze focused on Ghetsis.

"… The legend from long ago was that the noble families of Unova was once united under one name, but when the original brothers died, their children took on two different family names… Harmonia and Veritas."

"So then your daughter…?" Lyra trailed off.

"Hilda Veritas." Ghetsis announced, almost gleefully. "Our ultimate plan is to bring those heroes back and the pokémon as well. My son is the new hero for the Harmonia line, but I'm not sure if _you're_ the Veritas hero, or Hilda is. But our ultimate goal is to win the hearts and minds of the world, and then, we can form a world that I- I mean, Team Plasma desires!"

With that, the grunts all erupted into a roar of cheers.

"Can these people not see they're being manipulated…?" Silver was honestly in horrified awe of the Plasma grunts blind devotion. However, Rowan looked more baffled than worried. His brow furrowed, he stepped forward.

"Ghetsis," he spoke over the cheers. The sudden boom his voice had caught everyone by surprise, and he suddenly looked… very angry. "Ghetsis, you don't have a son, you've never even had a wife or a girlfriend or a lover… The Harmonia family have long since left Unova. None of their descendants are here anymore!"

"… Who ever said the boy was of my own blood?" Ghetsis bowed his head with a grin.

"That boy that we found…"

Ghetsis simply let out what could only be called a cackle. Rowan suddenly lunged, though a couple of grunts held him back from plowing Ghetsis down.

"I told you to leave him alone! What sort of maniac… Are you insane?!"

"No, simply opportunistic." Ghetsis smiled. "I see my chance, and unlike you, unlike running away from fate and destiny, I _take it and embrace it._ He never would have flourished where he was, he needed proper training, proper conditions so he can _flourish_ into the king that he is!"

"All hail King Natural Harmonia!" one grunt shouted. This was followed by a systematic chant, almost haunting in how blindly devoted these grunts were.

" _All hail King Natural Harmonia!"_

 _"All hail King Natural Harmonia!"_

 _"All hail King Natural Harmonia!"_

 _"All hail-"_

The chant was cut off with the ding of an elevator door, and a Plasma grunt rushed through the crowd, holding three bags over her shoulders. Immediately, she rushed up to Rowan, tears in her eyes.

"Bianca!" Rowan exclaimed, breaking free of the grunts and pulling her back.

"Bianca?" Lyra exclaimed. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Mr. Gray, it's terrible!" Bianca was crying into her hands. "So terrible! We lost Hilda!"

"Lost- How… What do you mean?" Rowan… Gray… Whatever the heck his name was immediately sounded concerned.

"Black broke me out and we went after Hilda disguised as grunts so we wouldn't get caught! When we found Hilda and got her free, she hit Black with a chair and went running! Black gave me our bags," she gripped the three straps for emphasis. "And went after her! I don't even know where she's going but I'm afraid if she keeps going up she'll end up at the roof!"

"Security team," Ghetsis suddenly spoke, pressing his hand against an earpiece in his ear. "This is Sage Ghetsis speaking… Once I enter the elevator, activate lockdown on the lobby."

"What? Ghetsis!" Rowan exclaimed, shoving past Bianca and attempting to again push his way through the grunts. However, they surged forward, acting like a wall, and not even caring about the pokémon that posed a physical threat. "Ghetsis, you have to listen to me! You can't use the Harmonia boy and the Veritas family line to repeat history! I told you about this-"

"Give my regards to Lisa, Rowan." Ghetsis spoke simply, cutting him off as the elevator doors shut. As soon as they did, metal gates slid down in front of the elevator and the exit, successfully locking them in.

"Damn!" Rowan hissed, shoving free of the grunts and gripping a pokéball on his belt. Storming towards the door, he turned to the rest of them. "Keep the grunts off my back, they're going to have a coronary when they see this."

With that, he released a purple pokémon with a metal body and saucer shaped head. Glowing red eyes were prominent, and there was something that looked like a canon strapped to it's back. Pointing to the door, he opened his mouth.

"Wait!" Burgh suddenly reached out, gripping Rowan's arm. "I don't expect Lyra, Silver, or Sara to recognize that thing, but _I'm_ a Unova native! I'd like to think I've got a decent grip on most of the pokémon in this region and I've never see that thing!"

"The pokédex isn't registering it either!" Lyra suddenly exclaimed.

"N-Neither is the Unova dex!" Bianca stepped back, cowering behind Lyra and Silver.

"It makes it official," Burgh turned his gaze back to Rowan. "This may be dire straights, but I'm not going to let you go destroying the city with that… with that _thing."_

"This _thing_ has a name, and if we don't do something, Ghetsis is going to get to Hilda before I do." ripping his arm free, Rowan point back towards the door. "So step back or get caught in the blaze."

Pushing aside his jacket, he grabbed a red, square shaped object on his belt, throwing it towards the pokémon with practiced skill. The object slid into a square-shaped slot on the cannon, and the pokémon got down on all fours.

"Genesect, Techno Blast!"

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda dropped the fire extinguisher as she stepped away from the door. Having successfully jammed the thing with brute force, she took a moment to berate her own stupidity.

She had been so bent on getting away from the persistent grunt that she didn't even think of where she was running until she reached the staircase to the roof. She felt like some sort of stupid horror movie heroine, the kind that dropped the cross-transciever mid run and bolted up the stairs with no way out, then hid in one of the most obvious places for the killer to finger her.

Like the closet.

"Hilda!"

The grunt began trying to open the door, pulling and jiggling the doorknob to get it open. Hilda stepped back as she heard the grunt slam his whole body against the door.

"Okay, get a grip, Hilda…" she muttered. "I'll get to the roof, and maybe I can get some bystander to let out a flying type to get me down…"

Hitting the bottom step, she cursed the idea. No way was that going to happen… But considering that jerk could break through any moment…

She climbed up the steps, the hot July air hitting her like a humid smack. There was a helicopter that had landed there. Judging by the Plasma symbol on the side, it wasn't there to help her, so she continued towards the edge. Immediately, she did a quick turn around, and saw pedestrians gathered around. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she inhaled…

"HEY!" she shouted, waving one hand. "Someone, help me out!"

No one seemed to care nor notice she was there.

"… You really are a lot like your father, you know."

Hilda tensed, then slowly turned around. There, Ghetsis was there, emerging slowly from the shadow of the helicopter.

"Impulsive, overly emotional, quick to anger… The similarities are uncannily similar. Right down to your inability to lie, your ability to spot the truth, and the ability to speak with pokémon."

"Cut the crap, Ghetsis." Hilda spat back. "How do you know my Dad?"

"… I can tell you that. I'll give you all the information you want, I'll return your pokémon, and I'll release your friends." he stepped forward and Hilda stepped back. "Hilda, you don't understand. Your father never told you who you are, what you're _truly_ meant to be. I can cultivate you to the hero that you're meant to be… And make enough money so that you'll never have to worry about your mother ever again."

Hilda kept her distance as he neared closer, though she was running out of space. She had long since hit the ledge, one more step and she'd fall. She glanced over her shoulder, looking down.

… It was a longer drop than she thought…

"Hilda," Ghetsis's tone was calm, almost soothing, like he was trying to lull her into security. "You don't need to fear me. You, our king, and myself… We can create an ideal world together."

"My black eye says otherwise." Hilda spat. "But I'm not mad at you about that."

"Oh?" Ghetsis looked intrigued.

"The reason that I'm _never_ going to join Team Plasma is because I'm never going to believe that the 'ideal world' is a world where pokémon and humans have to be separated. In truth, the times have changed. Pokémon and humans now coincide in this universe… You can't expect that to change now."

Hilda averted her gaze for a second.

"And for a moment… For the first couple week of my travel, I didn't think about what my pokémon needed or wanted. I ignored them… I cared only about the money I would make. But that speech you gave in Accumula pissed me off so much that I had to rethink my whole relationship with them… On top of my newfound ability to talk to them. So from this day forward, I'm making a new promise to myself and to you!"

Thrusting out her arm, she pointed at him.

"I'm going to dedicate myself more to my pokémon! I'm going to make other people dedicate themselves just as strongly! Maybe the weaker willed will believe your speeches and your vow for peace… But the strong will see through your lies and will strengthen their bond with their pokémon even more! And it's up to us… It's up to _me_ to make the weak-willed strong and give them the confidence to know that they _are_ good trainers and that their pokémon are happy! Even if it means…"

She lowered her arm and clenched her fists.

"Even if it means revealing to the world what kind of freak I am by being able to hear them."

Ghetsis simply stared at her, then his smile twisted into a crooked grin.

"My… You are quite _difficult_ to figure out, aren't you? You see, your father and our king are not like that. Not so difficult… Not so intelligent. You, on the other hand, are a bit more intelligent than I'd expected…"

Ghetsis turned away, and faintly, Hilda heard the door finally break open.

"You may enjoy hearing this, since you so value truth over lies… But I've gathered people all over the world for the benefit of our king. Strong people, intelligent people, unusual people, gifted people… I do so enjoy being able to bend them to my will."

Just as he said this, the entire building shook with great force. Ghetsis's face twisted into a snarl as the building suddenly shook, and Hilda faintly heard and explosion.

Then, she was staring at the sky.

 _Oh my f*cking hell…!_

She had fallen! The damn quake shook her straight off the building! She was so dead… So, so freaking dead!

As the thought of death crossed her mind, however, she felt her entire arm jerk. Pain tore through her shoulder, and she let out a screech of pain. Her legs slammed against the side of the building, scraping her knees up, but she wasn't falling… And she seemed to be alive…

" _Heroic girl! You're alive! You're okay!"_

"Victini?" Hilda muttered, lifting her head.

As she did so, she saw a familiar face, along with Victini on his wrist, digging his claws into her hand in a fetal attempt to keep her from falling.

"Black!"

o.0.o.0.o

"What the… Why the hell are you wearing a Plasma suit?!"

"What?" Black grinned down at her. "It doesn't suit me?"

"It's hideous!"

"Of all things… Do I even get a thank you after saving your life?"

"Still dangling here, asswipe! Pull me up!"

Black wished that he _could_ pull her up. But he was seriously afraid that if released his grip on the small border wall, he would slide over the edge and they both would fall. He didn't have his pokémon, he didn't even have an earpiece or a device to call someone. All he had was either attempt to pull Hilda up and get recaptured by Ghetsis, or have both of them drop, which would likely end in death.

… And judging by the way Hilda's hand was trembling against his, something was hurt.

"… I was wondering when you would decide to make yourself known." Ghetsis spoke slowly, coming towards him. Black paid him no mind, still trying to figure out a solution where both of them would live, without being recaptured. Down below, people were starting to gather, watching the spectacle. "How long did you expect me to pretend you weren't causing me problems?"

"Problems?" Black quipped back, trying to hide the strain in his voice. " _Me_? You've got the wrong kid."

Black could feel Ghetsis coming up to his right, looking over the edge. Hilda's face twisted into a glare.

"You and I aren't that different, are we?" Ghetsis spoke slowly. Black kept his grin up, though he felt a bead of sweat roll down his face until it dangled off the tip of his nose. "You toss people aside when they're no longer useful, just like me. You act with fake sincerity, fake peacefulness and enjoyment… Just like me. You fear the future due to _certian conditions_ that you can't help."

"Hey!" Hilda's tone took on a screech as Black felt three pairs of arms grab onto his. Black did a glance around, and saw Ghetsis's personal guards, the people that Black had gotten beaten by, the Shadow Triad. It wouldn't take much to throw them both over the edge or pull them both up. Victini seemed read to make a move, then Hilda yelled.

"Victini, don't go near them! This is your chance for freedom, if they get ahold of you again…!"

"Just." Ghetsis taunted. "Like. Me."

Black tried desperately to keep his cool, nostrils flaring slightly as he tried to calm his racing heart. He had no clue how or why Ghetsis knew about _that…_ But rumors had been going around that Ghetsis himself had suffered some sort of medical condition. At least that was confirmed, but… but Black's own condition? It's impossible for Ghetsis to know that! His father had-!

"Black!"

Victini's chirps and Hilda's voice cut through his thoughts, and for a moment, panic. Hilda was slipping from his grasp…!

"Considering how similar we are… I can imagine _you_ being a more suitable hero or king of Unova than Hilda or our current King. You know how to put on an act… how to manipulate people's hearts and minds with words… But then again," Ghetsis sighed, shaking his head. "Apparently, to be a hero here, you need to be descended from the family lines… So in that sense, you are completely _useless_ to me… Nothing more than a thorn in my side."

 _A useless thorn in someone's side…_

 _How many times have I heard that…?_

"Black!"

That was Hilda's voice, and he slowly exited from his own thoughts, meeting her gaze. Her face was annoyed… but determined and honest.

"Black, listen to me dammit! _You're not like him!_ Because if you were like him, you would have let me drop, would have _run_ and _abandoned_ your comrades like I know Ghetsis would! You're loyal! You're strong! And Arceus be damned, _YOU ARE NOT USELESS!"_

After the shout, she reached up with her other hand and gripped his wrist. Whether it was to keep herself from falling or to reassure him, he wasn't sure…

"You may be an _unbearable asshole_ with the _fakest as hell expressions that I ever did see,_ but people don't get an ego like yours without reason to back it up! We've come this far, right?! So don't listen, and use that oversized head of yours to think up a way out off it like you alway f*cking do! Understand?!"

Black's gaze flicked around, finally spotting something that would maybe prove helpful. It was Hilda's father, Gray, speeding towards them.

"Hilda!" he caught her attention, and she looked up at him. "Hilda, I know you think I'm an unbearable degenerate or whatever you call me, but all I need to know right now is if you _trust me_ to get us out of this mess alive! Do you?!"

"Black, look at me."

He lowered his gaze, making eye contact with Hilda. She stared at him for a moment, then reaching up with her free arm, she grabbed Victini and hugged him to her chest. Wincing due to the strain on her arm, she set her expression in a determined look.

"Alright, whatever you're planning, I trust you to get us outta this mess alive!"

"… Hilda."

"Come on, do what you've gotta do! I'm re-"

"Thank you."

Then, he let go of her hand. Ghetsis let out a yell, but Black shook himself free of the Triad and dove after her. The crowd was screaming as he latched onto her, holding tightly and trying to angle where he would fall. Hilda was shrieking in his ear, but like he planned…

"Gotcha!"

Their fall stopped then they were caught in the arms of the strange pokémon that Gray had. Wrapping them in a metallic hug, Gray was on the top of the pokémon's canon, his expression absolutely relieved as they hovered mid air.

"Thank Arceus you're live."

"Dad…" Hilda's words trailed off as Gray bowed his head against the pokémon.

"Thank you Genesect. Thank you beyond thanks for getting her in time."

o.0.o.0.o

Vale stared at the pokéball in her hand, the Gothitelle she had caught staring back at her with sad, hollow eyes. She looked… unsettling reminiscent of herself when she was under Ghetsis's control. Chained. Depressed. Hopeless…

The other pokémon had long left the scene, scrambling away to avoid consequences or being further hurt. The girl, Iris, had returned her Druddigon, standing adjacent to her as she chased the Elektrik away. As she was doing so…

"Wah!" Iris let out a cry, forcing Vale to lift her head. There, she saw the one of the Shadow Triad leaping towards a helicopter with the girl in his arms, kicking and screaming. "Lemme go! Let go! Tall lady! Someone!"

"Ichiro!" Vale shouted, taking a wild guess at which of the brothers it was. "Ichiro, why-"

He shot her a look as Ghetsis approached the open door. She froze, making eye contact with him. He seemed to survey the area with great interest, almost with an impressive gaze.

"I see you haven't changed, Destroyer." Ghetsis spoke simply. She stiffened, then shook her head, trying to find the words to deny him… But she just _couldn't_. "My… You aren't even going to try to help this innocent child?"

She was trembling, trembling terribly But no matter what she did or what she tried to say, she couldn't find it in her to deny him.

"Vale, come on!" Iris suddenly exclaimed. "Do what you were doing earlier! Kicking butt and all that!"

"She won't." Ghetsis suddenly turned, an indication to Vale that he was done. "You're a rather important little pawn, if undiscovered up until this point. A dragon prodigy as well as the 'granddaughter' of the head gym leader of Unova? Though my plans today have failed… You're at least good compensation."

"I'm not compensation for nothin'!" Iris suddenly shouted, kicking and screaming. Vale was struggling to find her courage, to do something to get Iris back, but as she did so, a monstrous pokémon suddenly rammed into the side of the helicopter. The whole thing jerked, giving Iris a chance to jump.

Taking the chance, Vale made a jump and caught her, only to be further caught by the huge pokémon, a Salamance.

"Grandpa!" Iris exclaimed both in adoration and relief. However… her tone soon took on a more worried tone. "Um, I… Uh…"

"We'll discuss your actions later, Iris." the man grumbled. "For now, we're going to meet up with Burgh in order to apologize for any trouble you caused."

"She wasn't any trouble!" Vale exclaimed. "By… By the time I got up there to help, she single-handedly defeated the pokémon causing the barrier."

"And you are?" the man grumbled. Vale contemplated that for a moment, then smiled.

"… Just a bystander, doing her best to get by."

o.0.o.0.o

 **Bit of a dud ending, but whatever.**

 **Anyways, I wanted to talk about how my goal by the end of summer would be to have at least a hundred reviews on this story. That would make me incredibly happy!**

 **So if you haven't reviewed yet, it's never to late to start~!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	21. Truths Uncovered

**Ugh, I'm exhausted right now. In all due honesty, I was so busy this week, this chapter completely slipped my mind. So now I'm gonna crank it out right now. It's probably gonna be short, but whatever. Gonna tie up some thing from the last chapter.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda stalked through the hallways of the hospital, her arm in a sling. Apparently, someone grabbing her from falling off a building didn't work like it did in the movies, because she had sustained injuries. Her shoulder got dislocated and her wrist was sprained… And now she was stuck in a damn sling…

But even if she was busted up right now, the doctors told her that she should be good enough to travel as long as she get the sling on… And she had a damn traveling companion.

Plus, she still had a few things to clear up. For instance, the fact that Victini was currently hiding in her hair, seemingly content with the nesting place.

She honestly liked the little guy, though. He was cheerful, if not a little haughty… And maybe a little sarcastic. For a little runt, he had a big personality, and was fun to be around. Plus… She had to address this whole "speaking to pokémon thing". She was serious when she told Ghetsis she was going to use her abilities to defeat them. But that wasn't going to work if her ability was hidden away...

As she made it to the lobby of the hospital, she was greeted with overjoyed sobs from Bianca and Cheren sighing at her overreaction.

"I thought you were dead!" she gasped between sobs. "I thought you were gonna _die!_ I was so scared, I thought that I was never going to escape, that Black was never going to wake up, and then I get outside and I see them both hurtling off the building?!" Bianca's hand fluttered to her heart as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Oh goodness, I screamed so loud I thought I hurt my throat. It was all to much for one day, all to much!"

"Well, now it's a new day." Hilda shrugged, patting Bianca on the shoulder.

"I was pretty concerned when you had to spend the night." Cheren commented seriously, glancing at her as he adjusted his glasses.

"Cheren was so supportive." Bianca exhaled, smiling at him. "He sat with me all night while we were waiting for news about you."

"Oh, really." Hilda shot a teasing smirk at Cheren, who turned his head to the side, as if to completely avoid her teases. "So how did that go, Cheren?"

"Oh, wonderfully!" Bianca smiled. "Even if he's a little blunt, he always knows what to say to calm me down! While I was hyperventilating about you dying or something, he thought all logically and said the overnight stay was probably a precaution!"

"Speaking of which," Cheren interjected before the conversation could be delved into any deeper. "Why were you spending the night?"

"I spent the night 'cause they were looking for additional injuries." Hilda shrugged. "I mean, evidently my arm is all screwed up, but they noticed the black eye and I told them I got punched in the face and the punch knocked me to the floor. So they were doing scans for a concussion, but I seemed fine, so they're letting me go."

"Arceus, it could've been so much worse." Bianca shivered. "I was really, really scared…"

"Well, it's over now." Cheren spoke, holding up Hilda's bag. "Your pokéballs are in there as well. Seems all of our pokémon were unharmed during this whole ordeal."

"Of course they were unharmed." Hilda muttered to herself, allowing Cheren to sling the bag over her head so that she could access it with her good hand. "Their king seems to have a bit of a double standard. Don't hurt the pokémon, but hurting people is just fine…"

"Let's just push it aside for now." Cheren spoke simply. "It's over now."

"… But it's not." Hilda spoke slowly. "Not for me at least."

"N-No offense, Hilda," Bianca murmured gently under her breath as the three began to walk towards a little cafe that was in the hospital. "But sometimes you tend to put yourself in situations that are a little unnecessary… Please, if Team Plasma is dangerous, you shouldn't involve yourself with them. I mean… Agent Looker and Agent Blitz can handle it…"

"It's not just about me trying to bolster my ego." Hilda spoke sharply as they sat down. "… Because I have something to tell you involving Team Plasma and myself."

"That's something I'm worried about." Cheren took his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "It's almost like Team Plasma went and targeted you intentionally."

"Yeah." Hilda drummed her fingers against the table. "Black was just caught in the crossfire. Wrong place, wrong time, all that mojo. But that's besides the point. Like Cheren said, I think Team Plasma _was_ targeting me, and it was because… Uh…"

She trailed off, unsure how to even begin to explain this. Like, she wanted people to know, but the last thing she needed was her two childhood friends regarding her as a freak.

"You are aware anything you do or say isn't going to surprise us anymore, right?" Cheren finally asked.

"I'm worried though…" Bianca bit her bottom lip, reaching out and placing her hand over Hilda's. "Usually you're so headstrong and confident in your decisions… I've never seen you conflicted like this."

"Yeah, well, it's a little strange." Hilda kept her gaze on the table, lingering on Bianca's hand over her own. Suddenly, another hand reached out, placing it over Bianca's.

"People determine what is strange based on society's standard," Cheren spoke calmly, reassuringly. "Just as they determine what is normal. But the reason we make friends… The reason we form bonds like that is so that we have people who can look past the standards of society, and at least try to understand us outside of a superficial judgement."

"What Cheren said!" Bianca piped up chipperly. "So it's okay! What's going on?"

"Arceus," Hilda shook her hand free and wiped at her eyes, brimming slightly with tears. "For the love of Zekrom… When did you two become such saps?"

"Haven't we always been this way?" Bianca smiled brightly. "We have been friends since we were little kids after all!

"Well…" Hilda averted her gaze with an awkward grin. "From what I understand, Ghetsis is trying to find people to serve his kind. Strong people, smart people, special people…"

"Well that's extraordinary," Cheren sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back. "You're saying that Ghetsis want's to recruit you into Team Plasma?"

"And what are you trying to say?!" Hilda demanded, slamming her fist into the table. Cheren adjusted his glasses. "Are you saying I'm weak and stupid?!"

"You're not weak," Cheren spoke, not skipping a beat. "But you're reckless and your ability to cooperate and take orders is abysmal at best. As for the 'smart' and 'special' part, judging on your trainer school grades, you barely got by due to the battling part of exams. As for special, well, you're perfectly _ordinary._ You wouldn't even work as a poster child for their organization."

" _Great,"_ Hilda rolled her eyes. "Now I'm ugly as well."

"Aw, Cheren, don't be mean." Bianca whined. Cheren sighed.

"I never _said_ she was ugly." he reworded. "I'm saying that Team Plasma is looking for strong, intelligent, special people who agree with their ideals. Hilda isn't intelligent, she has no extraordinary abilities, she fights through everything in her path with brute force, and she _verbally and loudly_ professes her beliefs against Team Plasma's ideals. So why on earth would Ghetsis want to recruit the most _stubborn_ Boufalant I ever did see into his organization?"

"Because I can speak to pokémon, dammit."

She spat out the answer at just the right time. Cheren shot her an odd look, and Bianca cocked her head in confusion.

"We can all talk to pokémon." Cheren spoke simply. "It's basic communication, almost compulsory."

"Yeah, but when your pokémon answer you, can you hear what they say?"

There was a long silence as Hilda fixed them both with a serious look, indicating how important this was to her. Cheren suddenly sat up straighter, and Bianca's mouth parted in surprise.

"You know I'm not lying, and I'm not trying to kid you."

"… I… I've heard that trainers who have journeyed a long time with their pokémon can obtain the ability to understand them on a personal level…" Cheren spoke slowly, as if trying to think out his own thoughts. "Are you certain it's not that?"

"It's not that," Hilda shook her head. "Because I can understand Victini," she pointed to her ponytail, and the pokémon peeked out over her shoulder. "And I've barely known him a day. Plus…"

She trailed off, absentmindedly scratching Victini's head as she spoke.

"… I understood what Munna was saying back at the Dream Yard. And I also understood Black's Pansear, shortly before that. In truth, I think I've been able to understand them since I was a kid. But…" she trailed off, truly surprised with how much her voice shook as she spoke. Lowering her hand from Victini's head, she sighed. "But you know. Girl goes saying she can understand pokémon, and that's a one way trip to the looney bin."

"That's…" Cheren shook his head in disbelief. "Utter insanity. I just… _Understanding_ them? Like… Like they're speaking our language?"

"Yup." Hilda answered simply.

"Well, there's only one way to find out if this ability is real or not!" Bianca dug around in her bag for a moment, then let out her Munna. Grinning as the psychic type floated next to her, she grinned at Hilda. "Do you think you could ask Munna why she bites my head, like she did in the Dream Park? Because she does it a whole lot, and though I don't mind, I wanna know the exact reason for it."

"How will this prove that Hilda can understand her, though?" Cheren asked. "No offense to either of you, but Hilda could have easily looked it up online or something like that."

"I'm not you, Cheren." Hilda rolled her eyes. "It's not like I make a point to go on the internet every day and research every possible thing I can find."

"And I know exactly how to have Munna indicate if she's right or not!" Bianca smiled, then held Munna in front of her face. "Do me a favor, cutie-pie, and if Hilda accurately translates for you, then do a flip! Okay?"

"… This seems faulty, somehow." Cheren spoke, staring at the scene as Hilda stared at Munna.

"So, uh…" Hilda swallowed nervously, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle up from a slight sense of nervousness. "Why do you bite Bianca's head?"

" _Her head's full to the brim with dreams! And not just simple little things, she's stuffed her mind full with so many aspirations and wishes for her life that she can hardly focus! So what I do is I "eat" her dreams. Not to erase them, but to clear her mind for a few moments just so she can think for a little bit! Plus, being that she's a sweet girl, her dreams are also very sweet, and they taste good. Typically always fills me up."_

"Okay, so basically, she bites your head because she's eating your dreams to clear your head." Hilda said simply. "Says that due to you being a sweet person, your dreams are also sweet, so it always fills her up when she eats your dreams."

"Oh!" Bianca gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. As she did so, Munna flipped over backwards, and Bianca reached out and hugged her.

"That could've just been coincidental-"

"It's not." Bianca whispered in awe. "No one but me could've known that Munna here doesn't really eat much, no matter what brand of pokémon food I buy. The reason you're not eating is because you're already full!"

Smiling, she lifted her head to Hilda.

"You're like a real-life superhero!"

"Superhero." Hilda echoed, shaking her head with a smirk. "Nah."

"… That explains a lot." Cheren murmured. "If you can understand pokémon, you could be used in one of two ways to Team Plasma. First, Ghetsis could have you translate for hurt or abused pokémon who's had bad experiences with humans in order to manipulate people into bowing for their cause… Or, he could shut you up if you decide to translate for pokémon who get along with their pokémon and can confirm that it's not as bad as Team Plasma makes it out to be."

Bianca suddenly gasped, glancing between them both.

"I just thought of something…" she whispered, hugging her pokémon close.

"What?" Hilda asked.

"That tall guy we met in Accumula!" Bianca exclaimed. "Remember him? He had green-hair and-"

"Said he could speak to pokémon." Cheren mused under his breath. "For a fellow who talks very fast, I did catch that."

"Do you think he could be in danger?" Bianca asked, gaze flicking to Hilda's. "Like, maybe we should try to warn him?"

Hilda contemplated that for a moment. Could N be in danger? A part of her didn't really give two damns, since they guy was so weird… But his naivety could get him in trouble of Ghetsis found out about him. Not to mention how he seemed completely out of touch with today's society…

"How could we possibly warn him?" Hilda demanded. "It's not like we exactly _know him,_ or can contact him or anything like that."

"But even still…"

Hilda averted her gaze from Bianca and Cheren. Glancing into the hospital waiting room, she spotted Black. Normally, she would do her best to ignore him and hope that he wouldn't notice her… But it was already to late for that, as he was approaching them with a smile on his face.

"Then what we do is we warn him if we see him again." Hilda said, an edge of anger in her voice as she stood. "Bianca, you compared me to superhero, right?" flexing her good hand she walked forward. "I'm about to knock an asswipe around."

With that line, Black approached them, hand raised in greeting and his lips parted to speak. Before he could get a word out, however, Hilda reared back and punched him in the face. Before he could fall, he grabbed the front of his hoodie, yanking him close.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" she demanded. "Jumping off a building like that… We both could've died!"

"Huh." Black rubbed his cheek slightly. "So is that what that was about?"

"Well, what did you expect?!"

"If that's how you show gratitude to other people, I can see why you're so independent."

"You're insufferable." Hilda snarled, releasing him. Black put on a new face… One she at least hasn't seen yet. He was _pouting._ Obviously. And annoyingly. "Oh my Arceus, I'm _sorry_ I punched you in the jaw!"

" _And?"_ Black dragged the word out.

"And for hitting you with a chair back in Team Plasma's base."

" _Aaaaaaaaaand?"_

"You know what, Bianca?" Cheren suddenly stood, pulling Bianca up alongside him. "It's rather rude to just sit here and not purchase anything. Let's go get something."

"Oh, yes!" Bianca clapped her hands. "I'll pay! We all just got outta something pretty scary, and if it weren't for Black, I'd probably still be stuck!"

Cheren averted his gaze slightly as Bianca skipped towards the counter with a little more spring in her step. But regardless, he followed after her.

"I'm waiting, Hil-da~." Black sung, turning his attention back to her. Hilda fiddled with the brim of her cap, then sighed.

"… Thanks, for getting us out alive." she spoke under her breath, but before Black could start up with a snarky response, Hilda spoke. "And I think you should stop traveling with me."

"… Eh?" Black cocked his head for a second. "Oh come on, Hilda! Did you think that you were going to get out of this bet so easily?"

"I'm serious!" Hilda snapped. "The only reason you were even caught up in this mess is because Ghetsis said so! Besides…"

She averted her gaze, glancing at Bianca and Cheren out of the corner of her gaze.

"Ghetsis said that… As long as I have friends, he's gonna use them against me. I plan on distancing myself from Bianca and Cheren as well, so-"

"That's unfortunate." Black suddenly cut her off. "You realize that he went after me, specifically, because I just happened to be closest to you geographically, right?"

"And what about Bianca?!"

"Ransom." Black waved his hand through the air. "And even still, this means that you'd have to avoid conversations with everyone, because as long Ghetsis thinks you have a relationship with them, he'll go after them. Now, would you rather an innocent stranger get dragged into this, or would you rather have someone who you yourself said you trust?"

"That was situational and you know it!" Hilda snapped. "I had no one else to trust!"

"Then we get into that situation again." Black shrugged. "Do you still trust me in a dangerous situation?"

"… You've proven yourself." she muttered under her breath.

"And would you rather me get dragged into this over Bianca or Cheren?"

"… No." she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Not because of me."

"Then it's decided." Black respectfully held out his hand. "We'll continue traveling together. I'll help you out when you need it… Okay?"

"… Fine." Hilda sighed, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Just don't get in my way."

o.0.o.0.o

Sara climbed her way to the top of Castelia General Hospital, feeling her hands twitch with nervousness as she struggled to focus. Getting to the roof, she opened the door with a bang, allowing it to slam shut behind her just as loudly.

Cigarette already dangling from her mouth, she flicked the lighter. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Son of a… _Come on…"_ she groaned, cupping her hand around it and trying to get a flame, a tiny spark, anything.

"Need a light?"

Sara lifted her head, and saw Rowan walking towards her. Sara shot him a suspicious look, considering that he didn't have a fire type, but he pressed a pokéball. Out popped an Infernape, which caused a small smile to come to Sara's face. She recognized the pokémon from when Looker and her were briefly stationed in Sinnoh, where she first started training in the police academy.

Holding out her cigarette in between trembling fingers, Rowan gave Infernape a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Take it easy, buddy. You're just lighting a cigarette."

Infernape snapped his fingers, and a small flickering flame appeared over his palm. Quickly, the cigarette was alight, and Sara took a long drag from. Exhaling the smoke, she let out a sigh. Her fingers were beginning to settle now, no longer trembling and nervous.

"Anxiety?" Rowan asked. Sara tensed, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Rowan smiled at her. "I can tell it's not from addiction. 'Cause if it was, you would've smoke outside a public area, found a good excuse at any time. Your hands didn't start shaking until you gave your report to your superior. And doubly, you're on the roof of the hospital. If it were addiction, you'd be more open to doing it in a more public place, rather than private. You don't want someone to know that the smoking to ease anxiety. Plus,"

He grinned.

"You don't smell especially smokey, meaning you're limiting your use of cigarettes."

"… Looker doesn't know about this." Sara muttered. "When I first entered the police academy, the stress was pretty heavy on me… So I started smoking, and it ended up helping."

"I read somewhere about how nicotine can be an anxiety reliever in frequent smokers." Rowan spoke simply, just making conversation. "But you only look like you're twenty."

"Nineteen." Sara answered. "I began the path on my career before they implemented these laws about trainer license ages and all that. It influences passport laws and career laws as well. I was smoking a pack a day before Looker found out and whooped me into shape."

She stared down at the smoldering cigarette with a sad, guilty look.

"Now I sometimes get hit with such bad bouts of anxiety, I smoke to calm myself down. I'm not happy about it, but it helps, and as long as Looker doesn't find out about the anxiety or the cigarette's, I'll be fine."

"… What caused it this time?" Rowan asked. Sara glanced at him, but he simply met her gaze with a gentle smile. Sara was quiet for a long time, then opened her mouth to speak. "I advise you don't lie, because I'll know." he closed his eyes with a grin. "Just some food for thought. But please, continue."

There was a long silence as Sara sat there. Blowing out another puff of smoke, she spoke.

"I'm from Slateport, Hoenn. When I was a little girl, I had a friend who lived in Mauville, north of Slateport. She was in the foster care system, didn't have parents, no family to speak of. The only family she had… Was me, and my family. Mauville was and is so overpopulated that I don't think they paid it any mind that a four-year-old who would ride her trike on the bike path. Especially since the gym leader was trying to save money so that he could one day renovate the city, have more room for people, since it was so overpopulated. One day… She just disappeared. No trace."

Tossing aside the burnt out cigarette, she pulled out another one, and held it out to Infernape. With a hesitant glance at Rowan, who nodded, she complied, and lit it.

"So I became a police agent to find her. And I did." Sara bowed her head bitterly. "… Ghetsis was in Johto. He was stirring up trouble… And I'm not going to go into full details without permission from Looker. But… he turned her into a monster, a being meant for destruction. I don't think she would have even recognized me, even if I managed to talk to her. I don't know what happened to her. Except for what Silver told me."

Her voice dropped to a whisper, quivering.

"Silver stormed the underwater base to save Lyra. I was with Looker, trying to apprehend grunts on the outside, keeping control. Apparently, she caught the dexholders by surprise and imprisoned them, and was only stopped when Silver beat her. After that, Ghetsis flooded the base."

"… Did she get out?" Rowan asked, sliding down to sit next to her.

"… Unlikely." Sara spoke bitterly, sliding down into sitting position. "Ghetsis shut down the warp panels, based on what Silver said. She couldn't have been able to escape, since there was no other way out. The base flooded, and she probably drowned. Underwater divers couldn't find a body, so we assumed that starved Gyrados ate her… I can only hope they did so after she drowned… That's the only wish I have for her now, that her death was semi-painless, since her life was full of it under his rule."

"Damn…" Rowan ran a hand down his face, pausing over his mouth as if hoping to hide his expression. But Sara saw it in his eyes. The worry. The surprise. The fact that he maybe saw this coming… but perhaps didn't quite expect it. "I'm so sorry."

"… Sorry's not going to do anything." Sara whispered. "Getting Ghetsis put away forever is the only thing that Looker will let me do. But… if push comes to shove…"

She trailed off, looking away. She didn't want to talk about this anymore…

"So why aren't you with your daughter?"

"Because I need to talk to you, and talk to your boss." Rowan said. "I know you're feeling really down right now, but this is important."

Sara was quiet, thinking this over. If Rowan knew Ghetsis before all of this, then it might mean he has information that no one else would know. So, Sara met his gaze, and nodded for him to continue.

"First off, don't call me Rowan or use the name Ghetsis used, Veritas, in front of Hilda or anyone who knows Hilda. I just go by Gray now, anyways, so that'll make it much less awkward."

"Why are you hiding your name?" Sara immediately asked, suspicious. "Is there a warrant for your arrest?"

"No, it's just-"

"Ghetsis seemed to know you." Sara spoke simply, accusingly. "So how do I know you're not lying to me?"

"Because I _can't lie."_ Rowan… Gray insisted. "What Ghetsis said was true. The Veritas family line is incapable of lying. And I did know Ghetsis, but that does not mean that I agree with his plans. Because if I did-"

"You wouldn't have hidden Hilda and then spent the next thirteen years of her life distracting Ghetsis by running around the world." Sara spoke musingly, summing up Ghetsis's story quite well. "… Hilda has a talent too, doesn't she? Like the other kids…"

"… He kidnapped more than the Harmonia boy and your friend?"

"… Yes." Sara spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "From my suspicions and the fact Ghetsis himself mockingly confirmed it with files he sent us… He claimed to be responsible for the kidnapping of my friend, the Harmonia boy, both from Hoenn. With this, two girls from Sinnoh, and triplet boys who we think he just picked up along the way. There was also a boy from Kanto-"

"It was the red haired boy, wasn't it?" Gray shot out. "The one who was with you and the girl with the pigtails."

Sara couldn't help but gape, staring up at him.

"It was easy to tell." Gray simply grinned. "The way he reacted to Ghetsis, the way he spoke… I could tell that at least knew him, if not worked with him. Plus, I could also tell that he wasn't from Unova,"

Sticking his hand in his pockets, he turned his gaze forwards.

"I've travelled to many different regions. Here in Unova, people walk very heavily, but also quickly and without consideration of those around themselves, meaning they bump into people here and there. People in Hoenn tend to move faster than people from other regions, due to them walking pretty much everywhere. People from Kalos walk tall and confidently, due to the strong model and fashion influence there. And people from Kanto and Johto tend to be _extremely_ aware of their surroundings due to the spirituality of both regions, _especially_ in Johto."

"… Heh." Sara bowed her head. "Burgh said something similar. Yes… Silver was at one point, working under Ghetsis. But this was for a short while, and for reasons I can't quite disclose due to Silver's confidentiality."

"Fine by me, I have nothing against it."

"So you're not going to have this discussion with Silver?"

"Something tells me he's going to keep it to himself." Gray crossed his arms. "If Ghetsis had something over him when he was a kid, then Silver knows what he's really like. So in that sense," he shot a pointed look to Sara. "He knows not to drag other unnecessary people into a plan to bring him down."

"If you have something to say, you should say it." Sara spoke bluntly, clenching her cigarette so tightly she was surprised it didn't snap in two. "This case went from a missing person to a murder. Soon, it will go from missing persons to murders."

"I'm not telling you to back down." Gray spoke simply. "But the more people we drag into this mess, the more targets Ghetsis is going to have. Judging by what Iris told Looker at the hospital, he's already deduced that Iris could be used to manipulate Drayden. He's the strongest gym leader in Unova, plus is Unova's president. He's beyond powerful and beyond important in this country. The only people people who might have a bit more power than him would be the Elite Four and the Champion. If Drayden were to fall, in any means…"

"I imagine the country would be in shambles." Sara whispered softly. "If Drayden cares about Iris, he might break under Ghetsis's will if he gets ahold of her…"

"And by being the gym leader and the president, Drayden has the ability to order other gym leaders, as well as handing the country over to someone else. He could easily hand Unova over to their king. But…" Gray shook his head with a sigh.

"Drayden supposedly tough and stern as nails." Sara spoke, recalling a little information she had gotten from a guidebook. "He won't be so easily manipulated or defeated… Right?"

"Not unless Ghetsis poisons him and makes him weak." Gray confirmed lightly, though Sara looked at him, horrified. Gray quirked an eyebrow. "Do you think he's below that? He did kill-"

"Felicity was _murdered."_ Sara hissed. "He tossed her aside when she was no longer useful him, both because he didn't want her talking, and that she was no longer a marionette attached to his strings."

"… I'm sorry."

Sara was silent. Gray slid down into a sitting position next to her, hands folded and propped against his knees.

"But considering who we're dealing with… There's already to many people involved here. You know just as well as I do that this is about minimizing casualties… right?"

"I can understand that." Sara spoke firmly. "Looker and I aren't going to back out from this case. … And neither is Silver."

"What about the girl with pigtails?" Gray asked. Sara was quiet, then spoke.

"That's Lyra. She and Silver are two of the Secondary dexholders, from Johto. So they're respectable and strong trainers in their own right." she let out a sigh, leaning her head back. "In truth, I'd prefer that Lyra wasn't here… Or Silver for the matter. But Silver, of all of us, knows Ghetsis well enough for us to get somewhere, even recognizing his voice. As for Lyra… she's something like emotional support for him."

"… Emotional support." Gray echoed.

"Yes." Sara nodded. "Silver and Felicity were partners under Ghetsis's rule in Johto. From what Silver told us, they tried to escape together, but ended up failing… Felicity didn't make it out, got recaptured. Silver, however, made it out. They were… They were like siblings, I suppose. So even if he was out of contact with her… It probably hurt him to know that Ghetsis got away with killing her."

"I see…" Gray thought musingly.

"He's not doing well with it, so Lyra is helping him cope, as best she can."

"… You're not doing to hot yourself."

Sara averted her gaze. She knew this. She _knew it._ She was sleeping less, struggling to smile, constant feelings of failure and anxiety… But if the higher ups found out about this, she could get booted from the force. She could loose everything, her job, her passion… And Looker.

Looker was the closest thing she had to a father figure. He was more than a mentor, and to an extent, Sara knew that he _cared._ Or at least, she felt like he understood her a little better than her own parents. If she got dismissed, she would have to go home and face her real father, who never understood her in the slightest or even tried to. And if she went home... she was going to go mad.

"You can't tell anyone." she whispered. "Please don't tell anyone, I'll loose everything."

"You should rely on your partner more." Gray said simply.

"I can't." Sara shook her head. "If he finds out, I'm scared he'll force me to get help. And then I'll have to explain that to our superiors. I can rely on Looker for anything… But not this."

"… But if you don't get any help, you're going to fall apart."

"I can hide it." she shot back stubbornly.

"Your dark circles say otherwise."

Sara lowered her head with a chuckle, taking another drag from the cigarette, then pouting when she noticed that it was almost gone.

"The loudness of Unova has been making it hard to sleep. I'm a light sleeper, and it keeps waking me up." exhaling, she forced a smile. "I can think up a lie, an excuse. I don't need him to worry."

"… Whatever you say." Gray reluctantly agreed. "Anyways, we've got you and Looker in this, as well as Lyra and Silver and possibly Drayden and Iris. We need to keep Bianca, Cheren, Hilda, and Black out of these problems from here on out. If we can keep Team Plasma out of their hair, hopefully, Ghetsis will loose interest."

"Most likely not, but I've got a plan that may work for protecting them. But," she flicked the butt of the cigarette away, grinding the smoldering thing under her boot to put it out. "We'll have to involve one more person."

"… You know how I feel about that."

"Yes, but he's been involved far before any of us got here." Sara smiled to herself, taking out her pokégear. "Apparently has been working underground in Unova for a while now."

"Another police agent." Gray summarized.

"Bingo." Sara smiled Eventually, the phone picked up.

" _Hello, Agent Blitz. Do you have a report?"_

"More like a request," Sara spoke carefullly, hoping her request wasn't going to irritate him, as he was her superior. "Agent Pitch, it involves Ghetsis, whom we now have confirmation from Silver himself is Mask… As well as a girl named Hilda Veritas, goes by the name Hilda White."

" _Is that her maiden name?"_

Placing a hand over the speaker, she mouthed the words _maiden name_ to Gray. He nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. I just finished speaking with her father, who apparently has connections to Ghetsis… Or at least, they seemed to know each other, and Ghetsis knows that Hilda exists now."

" _And this is a problem… How?"_

"He's after her." Sara spoke quickly. "Apparently, he's seeking people with the Harmonia and Veritas surname, and he's been trying to track her father for a little over a decade. In truth, I'm worried that he's going to harm her like he did the others. I know you probably have more important work to do, but I would like to request you keep an eye on her while Looker and I investigate and deal with these Plasma issues directly."

Childishly crossing her fingers, she prayed he would listen to her request. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as she waited for his answer. Fearing that he had hung up, she pulled the phone away. Seeing that he hadn't hung up, she brought the device back to her ear.

"… Agent Pitch?"

o.0.o.0.o

"Yo, Black!"

Black fell silent as Hilda waved for him to follow after her, an annoyed look on her face.

"Come on! Even if I'm gonna keep Victini, I wanna challenge the gym and get it said and done so we can move on! So get off your transceiver, and hurry up!"

He gave her a thumbs up, smiling to reassure her, then brought his X-transciever close to his face.

"… Hilda Veritas is in good hands. I have to go."

Then, he hung up.

o.0.o.0.o

 **Ugh, I'm a whole day late. I got strep throat over the weekend but the penicillin they gave me for it knocked it outta the ball park. Which allowed me to finish this chapter.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	22. Planning for Route Four

**Sorry I didn't update over the last weekend. I just got caught up in a lot of schoolwork and I didn't have the energy to even write. But I'm gonna update this now!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Everything was warm to him. They sky was clear, the flowers were blooming and pokémon were running freely. The air was alight with the sound of their free cries, the scent of nature drifting on the gentle breeze. His hair lifted off his back along with his cape, flowing majestically behind him._

 _This was it. This was his paradise. It had been a long and grievous war, but he had done it. He subdued the dexholders and set the pokémon prisoners free from the confines of trainers._

 _The outcome was met with backlash at first, but he had quelled the rage within the people's hearts by showing them what the ideal should be in this world. By translating what their pokémon said and convincing them that this was the right path. And now… everyone was happy. Pokémon were no longer held captive by humans, instead doing as they please, without intervention or interference on the humans part. His knights kept order in the kingdom, his father and the rest of the sages helped him lead…_

 _Truly, it was nothing less than a utopia._

 _Walking further into the clearing, he couldn't help but smile as some of the pokémon bounded up to him and nuzzled against his legs. Reaching down to pet each individual one, he continued on with a couple of them trailing behind him. This place was special, a sanctuary for his friends that he shared a particularly close bond with. That, and…_

 _"Vale, I'm glad you found the time to meet me."_

 _While this place was a special sanctuary for his pokémon, it was for hers as well. She was sitting at the base of a tree, eyes closed, perhaps asleep._

 _In truth, N knew that it as wrong for him to be meeting her here like this. She was a traitor to the crown, perhaps the first, and was a known abuser of pokémon. She was programmed to destroy everyone and everything, meaning she would have no problem destroying his monarchy as was what his father always told him, but…_

 _A small part of him also always liked Vale, and believed that she could be rehabilitated, she could change for the better. And from what he had observed in working with her, she had. She was happier now, gentler… Not as jumpy or ridden with anxiety and fear._

 _"Are you asleep, Vale?" he kneeled down, placing a hand on her shoulder with hopes to rouse her._

 _When he did, however, he quickly retracted his hand. Vale always was cold, her fingers perhaps considered even freezing, but when he touched her shoulder, the iciness radiating from her skin shot through him like he had touched Kyurem himself._

 _"Vale? Vale!" he called her name again, shaking her a little more roughly than he intended._

 _Her head simply lolled to the side, hands limply falling from her lap. As her arm moved, he saw why she was so cold. Blood stained the front of her chest, soaking through and staining the violet dress he had boughten her an even darker color. The wound was directly over the heart._

 _For a moment, he felt nothing but pure, raw panic. Who would have killed her? Why? Did someone find out about their secret meetings, and assumed this would be the easiest way to hurt him? If that was the case, it was certainly working! He wasn't quite sure what was going on right now, but their was a tremendous pain in his heart._

 _"You can't be dead." the pathetic whimper escaped his lips, the denial trying to console his fear. "We were going to present you to the council today, try to get my father's approval… Please, don't be dead!"_

 _Of course, he didn't get a response. Who would do this? Why would they do this? For such petty revenge, in a utopia he created, at the price of everything? Were the legends mocking him for his need to have Vale, nothing but happier memories of the past, as a permanent fixture in his utopia?_

 _"Natural, it had to be done."_

 _N froze for only a moment, then slowly turned to look over his shoulder. There, his father stood, staring down at the scene with cold, unforgiving eyes. In his left hand was a knife, still bloodied._

 _"Did you honestly think that these little rendezvous' would go unnoticed by me?" his face pulled back in a sneer. "And I thought I told you what to do if you ever find this traitor. Yet here you are, hypocritically going against your own cause by… meeting with her."_

 _"No." N shook his head in denial. "No, you're wrong. You're wrong! I was trying to rehabilitate her, she was becoming a better person! I was going to bring her before the sages and you and show you that she was good! So that way I could-"_

 _"You could what?" his father spat at him. "What use could you possibly have for her?"_

 _"I… I mean we..." N trailed off, swallowing his words and attempting to suppress his tears. Voice quivering, he brought his gaze down again. "Why did she have to die?!"_

 _"She is a traitor to the crown and even worse, she's manipulating you so she can obtain access to the throne." his father gripped the knife harder, shooting a searing glare at him. "What were you going to finish that sentence with? That you_ ** _love her_** _? The very thought is laughable! I thought you were smarter than that, Natural! You are the king of this country, and you're entertaining the foolish idea of a traitor for your Queen?!"_

 _"No, I just…" N felt his lip quiver, trembling. "She… She…!"_

 _"You should be thanking me."_

 _N stepped back as the robes around his father began to quiver, floating about him for an unknown reason. Against all logic, his form suddenly grew, face warping into a dastardly grin with slit eyes. Gasping as his heart pounded against his ribcage, N stumbled back, accidentally tripping on Vale's body._

 _"Yet you sit here, and you wish to put this IMPERFECTION in our IDEAL WORLD?! WhAt MaDnEsS hAs BeFaLlEn YoU, NaTuRaL?!"_

 _"None! I just- I just…!"_

 _The words dyed on his lips as the monstrous form that was once his father suddenly engulfed his utopia, overwhelming him and everything around him. Panicking, he flailed about, but found that he was only falling through darkness._

o.0.o.0.o

N bolted upright in his bed as he awoke from his dream. His heart was pounding against his ribcage, and he was quivering as he struggled to overcome what he had just saw.

Slowly, he sat up, a book of fairy tales falling from his chest. Picking it up with shaking hands, he stared at the cover. Then, his gaze trailed to the window, daylight streaming through the curtains. Had he fallen asleep reading this? It certainly explained the setting, but not the content. Very rarely did he have nightmares involving harm coming to humans. Most of the time, it involved the horror stories of the abused pokémon brought before him. Even worse, his own father was made out to be the villainous wizard, killing off Cinderella…

… But even still, his dream father had a point. Vale was a traitor… But the idea of her possibly dying because of it… It made him nauseous. And it made him wonder as well. He couldn't bring himself to hate her. So if he didn't _hate her,_ then…

Swallowing, he flipped through the fairy tale book again. Fairy tales have always been black and white. The good always overcame the evil, the wicked stepmothers and villainous wizards cast aside and coming to a grisly demise while the heroes and the princesses reigned victorious, the balance restored again. They were never meant to be redeemed, because the role of the heroes was to overcome the darkness and lead his kingdom to the light.

Just like the heroes in the fairy tales, N knew he was destined to become a hero himself. To overcome the darkness and the abuse that was happening in this world… To make it an ideal utopia. His father had always told him there was no other path… Those who were not with them were obviously against them.

They were the bad guy.

The enemy.

And until now, N didn't have anything else to go off of to prove otherwise. Every pokémon he talked to in the wild enjoyed their freedom, every pokémon his father brought before him claimed humans were never kind to them. On only one occasion had he ever encountered a pokémon that _enjoyed_ being with their trainer…

Sighing, he covered his face with his hands, wanting to scream out of exasperation. He truly believed that the world was black and white, everything was black and white. There was good and evil, light and dark, beautiful and ugly, precious and meaningless. There was no in between, it was either one or the other. And because of that, he was seeking the light, the 'white' that was his ideal world.

So why was he struggling to figure out what to do with Vale? Why would a dream of her demise at his father's hand disturb him so? His father would be pleased at the idea of Vale being out of the way. Not necessarily _dead,_ but incapable of trying to destroy their utopia.

She left them. Abandoned their cause, refused their kindness, rejected the peace and security that his father had offered… She, his only friend, had _left him,_ with accusations of his father being a bad person.

He had every right to hate her, every right to share the same sentiments that his father held. Yet there was also a small part of him that pulled up bits and pieces of memories with her. Like when he first met her, and the conversation they shared was mostly him chattering excessively, comparing this and that and that and this. Or their brief encounters afterwards, when she agreed to be his friend, and even those encounters in Unova… When she just tried to talk to him, and even saved him... and when she laughed.

This was where N's beliefs were shaken. The world was black and white. If he and his father was seeking the light of a utopia, and Vale was against his father, then she had fallen into darkness. And according to his logic, if he didn't hate Vale, then did he…?

Was it really so impossible to bring her back into the light?

o.0.o.0.o

"Oh! Such beauty…!"

Hilda stared at Burgh in utter confusion as he stumbled back from his perch on the opposite end of the battlefield. The back of his hand hitting his forehead, his other hand flew to his heart, grasping his shirt as he steadied himself.

"Truly, Hilda, I do not think I've ever been exposed to such beauty before. I thank you! Sincerely!"

"Burgh, I just kicked you ass with Victini." Hilda spoke bluntly. Rethinking her words, she swallowed. "Uh… no offense or nothing."

"Offense?!" Burgh was suddenly across the field bowing before her. "You could never offend me, for you inspired me! I've gotten over my artists block!"

Shoving a badge and a role of bills into her hand, he began to coral her to the exit.

"Now, not to be a rude host or anything like that, but I'm closing my gym! I need to express this art! I have to gather my canvas's and brushes… Thank you so much, Hilda! Have a nice day!"

And with that, he shoved her out the door. And as soon as she turned, there was a 'closed' sign on the door.

"Well, that was brisk." Black commented. He had been standing outside the gym, waiting for her. "What did you say to upset him like that?"

"Nothing, in fact." Hilda spoke with a smirk, tucking the bills into her wallet. Pinning the badge was a bit more of a struggle, but she managed it. "He was so inspired by our battle that he insisted on closing the gym to paint. In other words, I cured his artists block, so kindly go to hell."

"Such a sourpuss." Black sighed, shaking his head. "Anyways, are we going to be heading into the next route gate?"

"Well, I mean, I don't really have any further business here." Hilda shrugged. "So we should just head out."

"Just so you're aware," Black commented, glancing over her attire. "Route 4 is known for it's blistering sandstorms. Though it might seem harmless, the sand tends to sting if you're exposed to it for to long."

"So what's that supposed to mean?"

"It just means that it might be best to maybe change into some longer pants and a hoodie." Black suggested. "We can circle back to the pokémon center if you want to change. I need to stock up on supplies for us."

"I can do that." Hilda commented briskly. "I need to heal up my team, then we can get going."

o.0.o.0.o

In truth, changing with a slinged up arm is harder than Hilda originally thought, but she somehow managed it. Only problem is she couldn't exactly get her bad arm into the sweatshirt sleeve, so she just walked out of the dressing room with one arm in the hoodie and the other haphazardly thrown over her shoulder.

"Yo, Black-" Hilda rounded the corner into the pokémart, only to freeze in her tracks at the sight of Bianca hugging Black around his neck. Black was surprisingly stiff, arms straight at his side as Bianca pulled back smiling. Vale was standing off to the side, at a rather stark distance with an awkward look on her face.

Finally, Hilda made her presence known, grabbing Black by his hoodie and yanking him back.

"Oh, hello, Hilda!" Bianca smiled at her. "I was just thanking Black for all his help with the whole Plasma ordeal."

"You don't say." Hilda grinned, trying to suppress her bubbling rage.

"Yes. I offered to pay for his things there," she gestured to a basket filled with water, some food, and various medications for pokémon. "But he refused, saying he could handle it. So I just did the next best thing!"

" _You don't say."_ Hilda hissed out under her breath.

"Yeah, you know, everything has just been really crazy lately." Bianca fiddled with her hat. "I… I kinda know that I'll probably never be as strong as you or Cheren, but… You know since we left Nuvema Town, I've met a lot of people and I've been thinking about what I want to do in life."

"Really?" Hilda grinned at her. "Well, that's great! Any ideas?"

"… I'm not to certain yet, but…" Bianca bowed her head, nervously biting her lip. "But when I found out what I did about Munna, I was really intreagued. And I realized there's not much I know about pokémon. So I would like to learn more, and maybe try to understand them a little better. Sorta like…"

She lifted her head, and Hilda saw the expression on her face. _Sorta like you,_ was what it said.

"I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life yet, but I do know what I don't want to do." Bianca's gaze suddenly became firm. "I don't want to live to be a pawn to my Dad anymore! So I need to get stronger, so I can prove to him that I can handle myself just fine."

"… And that's apparently where I step in." Vale suddenly spoke. Bianca smiled up at her.

"I didn't want to interrupt yours or Cheren's journey, so I decided to ask Vale for help with training me. I want to be cool and confident, just like her!"

Vale's expression, for a split second, suddenly morphed into this sad, degrading little smile. But it was gone as quickly as it was there, like a shadow.

"I know it sounds crazy, but… It's just, being kidnapped and Cheren getting hurt and being away from my pokémon really scared me. It was really hard, and I felt really unsure… So I thought the best way to fix it was to become stronger, so no one can hurt me or the people I care about ever again!"

"Aw, Bianca…" Hilda shook her head with a smile. "That's honestly the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"Hilda," Bianca grabbed her free hand, face determined. "I'm really glad I went on this journey, even if Daddy was against it. I've learned so much on this journey, but there's still a lot I have to learn. But I wanted to thank you, as well… For always being so supportive."

"Aw, damn, what am I supposed to be here for?" Hilda shook her head. "Go get stronger, Bianca. And call me when you are, we can have a rematch!"

"Right!" Bianca grinned. "Anyways, I wanted to say thanks again for everything, to both of you! If you're ever in a pickle, I'll try to help out as best I can!"

"I'm sure you will." Black smiled. "Good luck, Bianca."

Bianca again smiled, brimming with newfound confidence, turning on her heel to walk away. Hilda lifted her gaze to Vale, who's expression was contempaltive.

"… No one ever called me cool or confident before." she muttered under her breath. "I don't really think it's true, but I'll let her believe what she wants to believe. You," Vale turned and addressed Hilda a serious expression on her face. "Promise to be there for her if I ever let her down. Pass that along to Cheren as well."

Then, she followed after Bianca, her long strides quickly catching up to the shorter girls. Once they were out of earshot, Hilda turned to Black, a glare already etched on her face.

"I wasn't hitting on her, if that's what you're about to accuse me of," Black suddenly spoke, turning back to her. "What she said happened was true, it did happen. Vale can testify as my witness."

o.0.o.0.o

 **I honestly just wanted to make a short, quick chapter before they embarked to Nimbassa. I don't really know how much I like this chapter, but it's something, I guess.**

 **Hopefully you enjoyed it!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	23. Into the Desert

**Thank you, reviewers, for always being there to make my life a little brighter.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 20th, X017_

Vale had to remind herself to real in a little bit when she was working with Bianca. The girl was enthusiastic, she would give her that, but she was undeniably delicate and exhausted easily. Turning her gaze away, Vale suppressed a somewhat bitter smile.

Bianca was everything that she wasn't, and though Vale found the girl endearing, she somewhat loathed being around her for that very reason. She was bright and happy, hopeful for the future, bubbly and innocent…

 _As well as unscarred. She's not outwardly hideous like you are, Vale._

She lowered her head slightly. Why was it that the voice that loathed every fiber of her being sounded so much like Ghetsis? Even when she was away, she knew he was never truly gone.

"Hey Vale?"

She lifted her head, seeing Bianca staring at her with a worried expression. She was biting her lower lip, fists clenched to her chest as she stared. Her eyes were quivering, as if desperate for approval. She looked… anxious.

"Um, you're pretty quiet. Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Vale said simply, assessing what had happened. At her current fighting ability, Vale was slowly beginning to understand that she had completely overleveled her Tepig, now a Pignite, instead of evenly balancing all her pokémon. In that sense, it meant that if her Pignite fell, the rest of her pokémon would crumble because of how under leveled her other pokémon were. "I just thought of something."

"Oh, what?!" Bianca, brimming with excitement, was suddenly practically on top of her, standing on her toes and grinning right in her face. Calmly, Vale put her hands on Bianca's shoulders and pushed her back at arms length.

"You've overtrained Pignite. How often do you use him in battle?"

"Well, in all of them, actually." Bianca tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's good to have a reliable partner, but the fact you focused so much attention on him means the others have been neglected."

"Neglected?" Bianca's eyes welled with tears. "Like, I haven't been taken care of them?!"

"No," Vale shook her head. "Not that form of neglect. Clearly, you love your pokémon very much. But you haven't been leveling the ground when it comes to training them."

Pushing against the tree she was leaning against, as they were assessing her pokémons abilities in the Central Plaza, she brushed past Bianca and looked over her five pokémon.

"Your Pignite outclasses your other pokémon in terms of level and skill. That's because you've been relying to heavily on him to succeed in every battle you put him in. Even though you have your every confidence in him, and you love your pokémon beyond measure, you put to much pressure on Pignite. Subsequently, this will harm him in the end if he fails… He won't be able to handle it."

Glancing over her other pokémon, she continued.

"These pokémon are well loved, but if they don't contribute to battle, and watch their leader fall, they'll become discouraged… They'll feel useless, as well as unneeded."

"No!" Bianca shook her head. "No, it's not like that at all!"

"Not currently." Vale spoke simply. "But it will happen if we don't fix this now. So…" she shot a stern look at Bianca. "Enough crying. We need to raise the confidence of your other pokémon, and give Pignite a break. So…"

She trailed off, hands hovering over Gothitelle's pokéball. Her hand quivered slightly as she recalled her own teachings from Ghetsis, how she was faced with a near impossible odd, and then beaten and criticized when she was unable to overcome it. She knew no other way to teach…

"Forgive me for my hesitation," she tossed Mienfoo's pokéball in the air. "Honestly, I'm learning how to teach as well, so maybe my methods are a little strange… But battle me."

"B-Battle you?!" Bianca shook her head, clamoring as she stepped back.

"Without Pignite."

"Waaaaah?! Are you-"

"There's no point in working with Pignite right now since he's so far ahead of the rest of your team. Our goal is to get everyone else to catch up to his level." Vale spoke simply. "In a similar case, I don't have much experience working with Mienfoo here… So we can both work on forging better bonds with our pokémon."

"Better bonds?" Bianca echoed, staring at her with a bit of curiosity in her eyes. "Say, Vale, can I ask you something?"

As if taking her silence as a yes, Bianca continued.

"Were you a trainer before you came here? You mentioned having a Sandshrew, and when I battled Burgh, he mentioned your stance in battle was experienced, like you had been a trainer for a long time. Not like myself, or Hilda, or even Cheren, we've only been trainers for about four months…"

She trailed off, prompting Vale to speak.

"And?"

"And, well…" Bianca twiddled her thumbs. "I kinda noticed it too… You know, Cheren't very composed and calm too when he battles, but even he gets stumped sometimes. And I've never seen you falter, not once. But you're not reckless or impatient, like Hilda, so that's why I asked you to be my teacher… But…"

Vale stared at her as she balled her fists at her side.

"… Cheren doesn't trust you. Hilda's suspicious of you. And now Burgh is implying you lied to me back in Olivine City, Vale. I don't want to think you're a bad person, but Hilda's always been right when it comes to people, and Cheren is pretty insightful on those things too… So I want you to tell me the truth!"

"The truth?" Vale couldn't help but step back, faltering. What truth was she demanding? Her origins? Her goals? Her true nature and her past?

"In trainer school, they told us that trainers who knew their pokémon for a long time, and completed a journey with them, could come to understand them! You talk about these bonds like you're aware of them, and I want to know if you shared these bonds in the past! And if so, why would you leave your pokémon behind in order to pursue this guy who's here?! I know love prevails above all else, but didn't you love your pokémon to? Your Sandshrew?"

Vale felt like a knife got rammed into her chest as she asked her questions. For a brief moment, Vale had completely forgotten that she had told Bianca how she had obtained Audino… As well as her assumption that her and N were "lovers" that were separated due to "different beliefs" and that she was trying to track him down to "change his mind".

So, Vale averted her gaze from Bianca. She had to be careful with how she spoke. Bianca was gullible, but loose lipped. No doubt she'd let something slip to Cheren or Hilda is she wasn't careful…

"… At one point, yes, I was a trainer." Vale spoke slowly, a story quickly piecing together in her head. "I grew very strong, almost to a fearsome state… But I had a very weak bond with my pokémon. Some of them I've been with since I was a child, and the only two who I managed to form a bond with were the two I had since I was a kid. All the others… the bond was stunted. I didn't know what they wanted, what they were feeling… I've done them wrong, because I-"

She cut herself off, exhaling a heavy sigh of guilt. She had done her pokémon wrong because she couldn't protect them from Ghetsis either. She didn't know how to show them proper love and compassion… She had hurt them. Pushed them to limits far to extreme to overcome Ghetsis's challenges and tasks, made them hurt others when they didn't want to, made them tools. A means to an end, just to receive a _compliment_ or a bit of a reward from that twisted man…

"… I was selfish. And if they all hated me now, I wouldn't blame them. I was a selfish person, until I battled someone who showed me how I was doing everything wrong."

"… Who was it?"

"Does it matter who it was?" Vale asked, a small amount of bitterness escaping through her tone.

She remembered when she battled Silver, how different they had become. She had been trained to be a force of destruction by Ghetsis. A force of absolute terror and perfection… Yet he _thrived_ because of his freedom and the love he had received from others. How strong he was, because of how strong a bond he formed with his pokémon and the people he was able to surround himself with… How _inferior_ she had then realized she was then and there. Worthless and broken…

"Anyways," Vale shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "My old pokémon… I ended up giving them to the trainer who showed me how things were supposed to be. I don't plan on ever confronting him again, but I'm sure that they'll be happy. As for why I'm starting new…"

She glanced at Mienfoo, staring up at her with a sad look that didn't befit the tough act that she often took on.

"… It's because I need to show the person I'm looking for that I've grown. That… I wasn't the monster I once was."

"So that's it?" Bianca asked, clenching her fists tightly. "You're just going to abandon your pokémon with a stranger?! Because you _think_ they hate you?!"

Vale was taken aback by the anger in her voice. Truly, she expected such a reaction from Hilda, but not docile Bianca…

"If your pokémon hated you, they would have let you know! Even if there's an obvious communication barrier, they would have found a way to let you know!" meeting her gaze with a surprising amount of fierceness, she continued. "And I can understand why you think you're selfish, because you still are! You abandoned your partners with a stranger, Vale!"

"I left them with someone who could treat them better." Vale responded calmly. "I did enough damage."

"If it were so easy to cut them off," Bianca insisted. "You wouldn't feel remorse for whatever you think you did wrong."

Now it was Vale's turn to clench her hands into fists as she brought her gaze to her feet. Of course she was remorseful for what had happened. She had really hurt her pokémon when she forced them to go through the training courses Ghetsis had set out for her, just as Ghetsis had hurt her!

"New goals have now been set!" Bianca suddenly exclaimed. "Along with now tracking down your long lost love, we're going to track down the guy who inspired you to become a wonderful trainer and show your pokémon how great you've become!"

Renewed with a new sense of energy, Bianca stood taller.

"Come on, Vale! Let's both train and work together to become better trainers!"

Grabbing her four other pokéballs from her belt, she tossed them in the air with a flourish. While Pignite stood off to the side, looking ready to act as a cheerleader for the rest of the team.

Vale was taken aback by her enthusiasm, but shot her a small smile and nodded in agreement.

Bianca didn't need to know about Mask or Silver. She didn't need to know about the training, and she didn't need to know about her supposed 'death'. Vale would allow Bianca to think that she was helping her in the long run, even though Vale knew… She hadn't really changed.

She was planning to up and leave Bianca behind… Perhaps these pokémon as well. She wasn't really sure yet, but…

Vale felt that she was still a very selfish person.

o.0.o.0.o

"What do you mean you're not opening the route gate due to a weather advisory?!" Hilda exclaimed as she slammed a hand on the desk in front of her. The receptionist let out a sigh, but never lost her cheery smile.

"Miss, that's not what I said at all." she spoke. "I said that the route is closed to travelers who don't have proper clothing for a sandstorm. On top of that, construction workers are out there working hard, so we're requesting both travelers and workers to wear reflective bands so that you don't get hurt in the midst of traveling there."

"So then where can we get this equipment?" Hilda then grumbled. The receptionist grinned, pulling out a small, square box and putting it in front of them. Opening it, she began to speak.

"You can purchase it for a small fee-"

"A fee?!" Hilda demanded. "Why would I purchase something I'm only going to use once?!"

"Well-"

"Forgive my friend." Black suddenly cut in. He was holding what looked like a jacket in his hand. "But I can see why people would want to purchase such items. These are weather resistant clothes and goggles, which can be worn and protect the skin in most any conditions, correct?"

"That's right!" the receptionist smiled. "You must have done your research before coming here!"

"Well, not, really." Black scratched the back of his neck. "See, my Dad is partnered with and invests in the company that that creates materials like this for travelers. He's helping to produce a new brand of indestructible town maps."

"Oh, I just got one of those!" the receptionist smiled. Hilda shot her an odd glance.

"Just got one?"

"Yeah!" the woman smiled. "I got one about a week ago. They work really well."

Hilda's gaze slowly trailed back to Black. That's two lies that she just caught him in. When she first met him and he gave them the town map, he said his father worked direcrtly for the company, and that these items wouldn't be on the market until the end of their journey. But here, he's saying his father helps produce and invests in this company… As well as the fact that they weren't close to the end of their journey, but this woman says she bought one last week…

And considering Hilda didn't see anything about adds…

"Say, when did these town maps come out?" Hilda asked the receptionist.

"About three and a half months ago." the receptionist smiled. "They just started getting popular with young travelers now."

Three and a half months… That was a little bit ahead of when they started this journey. So when they had these maps, they were old enough where it wouldn't be odd if they had them, but new enough for the product to have not reached Nuvema Town…

But why give these to them? What was Black trying to get?

"Excuse me!"

Snapping her out of her thoughts, she glanced over her shoulder and saw two teenagers around the same age as her. Honestly, they looked familiar, but she couldn't place where she saw them before.

As she stepped aside, the brunette girl approached and asked about the weather conditions. Again, the receptionist began to try to sell the gear to her, but she waved her hand through the air, as if not needing the explanation. Chattering on excitedly, she pulled out her wallet and passed her some bills. Hilda's eyes almost popped out of her head when she unintentionally caught a glimpse of how much she had in there.

"Something caught your eye?"

The cold question made Hilda tense, and she lifted her gaze to the redheaded boy that was with the girl. His tone was demanding and protective.

"Oh, get that stick out of your ass!" she snapped at him. "It just surprised me, I wasn't going to do anything!"

"What surprised you?" the brunette came back, passing a box similar to what the receptionist had showed them to the redhead.

"You need to be more subtle when you pull out your wallet." the redhead spoke. "This is a new country, we still don't know how people will react."

"Oh." Lyra shrugged. "Well, it's not like someone's gonna rob us in the presence of three dexholders, right?"

"Three dexholders?!" Hilda exclaimed. This also seemed to catch Black's attention, studying them intently. The brunette smiled, eagerly shaking Hilda's good hand.

"Yep! I'm Lyra, and that's Silver!" Lyra smiled at her. "And you're Hilda! We were helping get you and Bianca out of the whole Plasma mess, along with those officers who interviewed you. Remember, Blitz and Looker?"

"Oh, yeah." Hilda nodded once, remembering Looker pestering her with question after question, and briefly catching a glance of Blitz speaking to Cheren and Bianca.

"In the midst of all the chaos, we didn't really get a chance to introduce ourselves!" Lyra smiled a big, bright smile. "So it's nice to meet you, junior!"

"'Junior'?" Hilda suddenly snapped. "You look like you're the same age as me, don't call me junior!"

"In terms of experience, you are our junior." Silver suddenly spoke. "When it comes to dexholder rankings, your age doesn't matter. It's based on experience. So even though Dayna Yellow is the same age as me, since she is a Kanto dexholder, she's technically my senior."

"… Right." Hilda spoke slowly, averting her gaze. This guy was no nonsense, but something about him was equally threatening, unwilling to put up with any bullshit. And if she remembered Bianca's shipping chart and Cheren's research correctly…

 _What the hell was someone like Silver doing with someone like Lyra?_

"… Anyways," Black clapped his hands together, catching everyone's attention. "We haven't met yet! I'm Black!"

"Black?" Silver echoed, glancing at him. His face was stone cold, but his eyes were suspicious. "… Professor Oak never said anything about a prospective dexholder named Black."

"That's because he isn't." Hilda sighed. "He's just traveling around and annoying me."

"Hilda is the greatest traveling companion, don't you agree?" Black spoke with a fixated grin. "But… prospective dexholder?"

"Oh, it's just technicalities!" Lyra sung out, waving her hand through the air. "See, since we're publicly recognized trainers, the governments need reasons to give us our paychecks every month. So you could say your 'trial' to become a dexholder is your journey, and at the end of it, you and your other friends will officially be given a title, along with the recognition and paycheck with it."

"… Paycheck?"

"Don't think you can get away without regulations." Silver spoke coldly. "Because if we get arrested or aren't acting as a "public figure" should, then we're going to get a cut, or it'll be revoked all together."

"Well, the only problem with Hilda," Black clapped her on the shoulder. "Is that she doesn't know when to shut her mouth! But otherwise, great person! Heart of gold, this one has."

"Don't sweet talk me!" Hilda snapped at him. Black simply laughed, so Hilda grabbed him by the strings of his hoodie. "I'm going to-"

"Watch out, Hilda! Wouldn't want to do anything _unsightly_ as a future public figure of Unova!"

"They're loud." Silver commented offhandedly, turning to a table and beginning to unbox his newly acquired weather resistant clothing.

"… I think it's precious." Lyra spoke, touching her fingers together with a smile. Hilda stopped her one-armed assault on Black, turning on her with a glare. Lyra, however, smiled brightly. "It's always nice to know such genuine people!"

"Genuine?!" Hilda released Black and began pointing to him accusingly. "You've gotta be kidding me! He's the most blatant liar I ever did see!"

"Lyra, we have to go."

With the zip of a zipper, Silver stood with his hood down and goggles in hands, now wearing the newly acquired weather resistant suit. Honestly, the quickness of him putting the outfit on surprised Hilda.

"Oh, we're not in any sort of hurry!" Lyra waved her hand dismissively. Hilda could practically see the temple throbbing on his head.

"Weren't you the one who insisted on running to Nimbassa because you wanted to visit the theme park?!"

"Yes, yes, but I don't wanna leave our new friends behind!" Lyra smiled at him, then returned her gaze to Hilda and Black. "Are you two also heading to Nimbassa?"

"We were going to, but poké-pinching Hilda here doesn't want to buy or rent a suit." Black put his hands in his pockets with a sigh. "So we're probably just going to wait for the storm to clear out."

"Oh, that's no good!" Lyra exclaimed. "I heard that Nimbassa City is the most fun city in Unova! And I'm gonna promise you, you need to have as much fun as you can before you become a big deal, Hilda!"

Turning on her heel, she approached the receptionist again.

"Can I get two more of those suits please?"

"Lyra!" Silver exclaimed, but the exchange was already done.

"Here you go!" Lyra smiled. Passing a box to Hilda, then approaching Black. "We can travel together now!"

"Thanks!" Hilda managed, setting the box on the table and ripping it open.

"Are you going to take it?"

Hilda glanced over her shoulder, and saw Lyra holding out the box to Black. He, however, almost looked liked he checked out, staring at the box with dulled eyes. Furrowing her brow, she turned on her heel, reached up, and pinched his cheek, pulling at the skin. He flinched, then looked at her.

"You alright?"

"… I'm fine." he spoke simply, brushing off her hand and taking the box from Lyra. "Thank you."

o.0.o.0.o

 _Current Teams_

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f), Blitzle(f), Victini(m)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Pignite(m), Litwik(f), Pansage(m), Munna(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m), Panpour(f)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Pansear(f), Siesmitoad(m), Ferrothorn(f)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m), Cottenee(m), Mienfoo(f), Gothitelle(f)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I've had a rough time lately, reviewers, which is why I haven't updated in a while. There's been two deaths in my family, and I haven't been handling it well.**

 **I'll try to update on a more weekly basis from now on. Thank you for understanding.**

 **On the plus note, We're seven reviews off from my 100 goal! I hope we can make it, everyone! Please leave a review!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	24. Halfway Through the Desert

**Okay, I'm coming a little out of this slump right now. Life hasn't been really good lately, but I'm starting to write again. I've been working on this Inuyasha fanfiction I may or may not publish.**

 **That's most of my stories though. Maybe or maybe not published.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017  
_ _Current Date: September 20th, X017_

"Alright! We're zipped up, goggles are on…" Lyra cast a glance over the other four with a big, excited grin on her face. "Is everyone here? Pokémon included?"

"All accounted for." Black nodded once.

"We're good here, too." Hilda gave Lyra a thumbs up with her good arm, the other trapped in the confines of her heavy cloak. Silver simply rolled his eyes, which Hilda assumed was his indication of a yes.

"Alright then, we're good to go..." Lyra suddenly trailed off as she approached Hilda. "Heya, junior, you should put your hood up-!"

Subsequently, Lyra let out a yelp as Victini leapt from her ponytail, nipping at her fingers.

" _What're ya trying to do, suffocate me?!"_

Between the bark and Lyra's yelp, Silver had shoved his way between the two. However, Lyra was already jumping over his shoulder, cooing about how adorable Victini was, and how she adored his big blue eyes.

"He likes hanging out in my ponytail." Hilda shrugged. "The hood will barely fit as it is, but I don't want Victini here to be cramped, so I'm keeping it down."

Victini let out a small huff, diving back into Hilda's ponytail. She felt him pulling at the strands as he burrowed himself in comfortably, finally settling down.

"That's such a cute pokémon!" Lyra complimented. Again, Victini popped out and glared at her.

" _Did she really just call me 'cute'? Can she not see I am the legendary Victini?!"_

"Cool it hotshot." Hilda sighed, patting his head. "Despite his tiny little body, he actually kicks ass. So he doesn't appreciate being called cute."

"Even though he undoubtedly is." Black snickered behind his hand.

"He's _adorable_." Lyra smiled, nodding to Hilda with her compliment. "I mean that, sincerely!"

"Yeah, well, he thinks he's Reshriham, so…"

"Reshriham?" Silver's voice echoed behind them as they approached the gate. As soon as they got out into the route, winds began to howl overhead, making conversations near impossible Unless they screamed.

"Reshriham is one of the three legendaries we worship in Unova!" Hilda yelled overhead.

"It's sorta like how Ho-oh and Lugia function for you guys!" Black chimed in. "Every region has their legends they worship right?! Sent down by Arceus or whatever!"

"Oh!" Lyra's voice suddenly chimed in. "Well, what do they represent? In our region, Ho-oh is the guardian of Johto and to an extend, Kanto's skies! To us, he represents the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation!"

"Our secondary legend is Lugia, and he guards the sea!" Silver's voice wasn't as loud, but was equally informative. "While Ho-oh represents rebirth, Lugia represents the solidarity and finality of death! Their fight begins and ends with what to do with humans and pokémon when they die! Ho-oh believes that they should have a second chance, while Lugia believes that once we leave this earth, we are done, and have to make room for the new souls and fresh blood!"

"Reshriham and Zekrom!" Hilda exclaimed. "The former is the upholder of truths and the former the upholder of ideals! People in Unova don't really worship them all that closely anymore. Like, they're more like historical icons than god-like presences here!"

"Really!" Lyra laughed. "In Johto, we're always having festivals and ceremonies in honor of our legends! You don't have stuff like that here?!"

"Not really!" Hilda shrugged. The winds seemed to die down slightly when they approached a construction site. However, instead of bustling with workers and whatnot, it seemed almost abandoned, with workers loitering around here and there.

"Oh wow!" Lyra exclaimed, looking over the construction site. "We don't have much of this over in Johto either."

"Construction?" Hilda asked.

"We're pretty old fashioned." Silver shrugged. "Even though our buildings aren't built like they are here, they're sturdy. Plus we don't have crazy weather conditions like this."

"Our worst case scenario is that Lugia suddenly emerges from the cave!" Lyra smiled. "But I've never seen something so tall like this! Except for maybe a few buildings in Goldenrod… What are they building?"

"If I read the article correctly," Black looked over the construction work. "They were going to build some houses and roadways for citizens in Castelia to Nimbassa, but due to storms and the archeological resources protection act, as well as some fanatics protesting construction here, work has kinda come to a halt."

"Archeological exhibition…" Hilda trailed off. "Oh yeah! The Desert Resort, right, Black?!"

"Desert Resort?" Lyra cocked her head curiously.

"It's a bunch of deadbeat ruins northwest of all this." Hilda waved her hand through the air dismissively. "Not something I'm interested in, to be honest. The only reason I remember it is because Cheren wouldn't shut up about it when we learned about it in Trainer School."

"A few years back, Lenora, the Normal type gym leader here in Unova, had done an excavation here. Some time after the construction began, however, some fanatics began to protest the construction because it might 'harm more ruins'." Black shrugged. "I have no clue if there's more ruins here or not, but everything came to a standstill while the government is trying to decide what to do."

"… This never could have been done in Johto." Lyra said musingly. "The value on the past is super important back home. Even putting historical ruins at risk there…"

As Lyra trailed off, a gust of wind suddenly whipped past them. Hilda was caught off guard by the sheer force of the wind, feeling as if she was going to be hauled over from the strength of it. As she struggled with the wind, she felt a familiar presence suddenly rip from her head.

" _HILLLLLLLLDAAAAAAAAAA!"_

"Victini!" Hilda whipped around, seeing the tiny pokémon desperately trying to flutter through the air with his tiny wings.

"Gotcha!" Lyra suddenly leapt up as Victini flew over her head, just brushing her fingers against his fur. As Lyra turned, however, Silver caught the pokémon in his arms, holding him tight.

"I've got him." he stated simply as the wind died down. He stared at Hilda for a moment. "But it looks like you lost your hat."

"My hat?" Hilda's hand flew to her head, only feeling her bangs and the hair pulled tightly in a ponytail. Lifting up her head, she saw the hat drifting over them on the breeze. "Shit! No!"

"I'll get it!" Lyra exclaimed, jogging after the hat. Hilda made a running start after it, only to be yanked back by Black.

"Listen, Hilda, we shouldn't stray to far from the path." he spoke simply, logically. "I'll buy you a new one when we get to Nimbassa."

"No way!" Hilda wrenched her arm free. "That was a gift from my Dad, I'm getting it back!"

Then, she darted into the sandstorm, keeping her eyes on Lyra's back as she darted into the sandstorm.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver had half a mind to run after them as well, but both his path and his train of thought was interrupted by a blast of wind kicking up sand, forcing him to stop until he got a better view.

By the time the storm died down, however, Lyra and Hilda seemingly disappeared.

For a brief moment, panic began to set in his heart and mind. Though he had full trust in Lyra's capabilities as a trainer, he knew that, in regards to a sandstorms and unusual weather conditions, Lyra may not fare so well. On top of that, this region was filled with strange pokémon, strange people, strange… _Everything._ This place wasn't a bit like Johto or Kanto, where everyone led a simple life, content with the world around them. Everything was loud, overwhelming, and brutal.

He had grown up in a world like that, and even without being raised by Mask, he probably inevitably would have ended up like he was due to his heritage. Lyra, however, did not, and if he was to base their experience in Unova based solely off of what had happened in Castelia… And now that Ghetsis knew they were here, did he already set his sites on them? Was he watching them now, waiting to make a move when he wasn't around?

Arceus, this was the worst possible scenario. Clearly, Ghetsis now has his sites on Hilda, and his end goal was to either eliminate or enslave the dexholders… This was honestly the best opportunity for him! And since he proved that he could get rid of a body with ease… How truly easy would it be for him to pull off the 'tourist went missing in the desert' angle until Lyra was found dead from 'natural causes'?

Unable to shake this newfound worry, as well as the feeling of being watched, Silver turned back towards where Lyra and Hilda had run off, only for Black to take a step forward.

"Stay put and and wait." he spoke simply, though he himself walked forward. Silver felt his eyes narrow into a glare. Stay put… and wait?

There was something wrong with him. Silver couldn't place what, but he's grown to anticipate peoples moves and reactions. His reactions weren't quite right. Nothing about the way Black was… was quite right. Unintentionally, he found himself reviewing Black's actions in the brief hour or two that he had known him.

 _Cannot accept kindness._

 _Does not appear to care for public figures._

 _Does not appear to respect those above him._

 _Seems to have a default expression_

Suspicious now in the foreground of his mind, he kept his eyes on Black's footsteps in the sand and trailed after him. However, he was soon following the sounds of shouting instead of footsteps. As soon as the dust and sand cleared… Silver was surprised by what he was seeing.

Black stood in the center of construction workers, one of which sat at his feet holding his arm in what Silver could only assume was agony, based on his crying and screaming. Black, however, was nonchalant, staring down at him as if he were witnessing something minor… Something insignificant. His entire body was relaxed, though he was clenching and unclenching his fists…

He was raring for a fight.

"So," Black spoke simply. "Since we've clearly outlined who has the upper hand, mind telling me what you're doing here?"

The other construction workers suddenly lunged at him, other grabbing at pokéballs. Black only dodged out of their grasp, releasing his own pokémon. They were strong, Silver could tell based just on their appearance in comparison to other pokémon he has battled. Yet, despite his strength, he was completely relaxed and composed with his movements. But…

There was nothing there. Nothing as his pokémon threw both trainers and pokémon alike. Nothing as these people cried out around him. It was a completely different sense of brutality, from even when he first started training pokémon. For back then… He felt a deep sense of rage that pushed him forward. He knew that people could sense that rage, there was _something_ that pushed him forward. But Silver was looking at Black, watching him battle, seeing parts of his expression through the goggles and on his mouth…

It was almost as if Black _didn't care._

Silver quickly ducked down and snuck behind Black as he returned his pokémon, darting through the attacks and the construction workers until he was behind Black. His intentions were to lash out and pin him, like he was taught when he was a child, but as he made his move, Black suddenly whipped around and grabbed his arm.

"You're a confident one." Black spoke simply. Silver simply stared at him, surprised by the strength that he held. His grip was strong and practiced, clearly an experienced fighter… And capable of breaking his arm whenever. Was this what he had done with that one construction worker? "… Strong, too."

His comment was offhanded, as if Silver were unimportant to him. His words dripped with a cool confidence that, quite frankly, annoyed Silver.

"And _you_ have short term memory loss." Silver spat at him.

"… Silver."

There was a tone of annoyance there, as if Black wasn't expecting him to be there. As if he _actually expected_ him to listen and stay behind. He released his arm, and Silver regarded him with a cool composure.

"Why on earth were you attacking random construction workers?"

"Construction workers?" Black echoed, this time with a dry chuckle. "Honestly. I know you're from the hayweeds or whatever, but surely you possess common sense?"

Silver felt his nostrils flare slightly at the insult. Was this his true self, the self he was trying to keep hidden? Or was he trying to accomplish something with keeping an act up with Hilda in his presence? Whatever the reason, he clearly didn't see a need nor a reason to act as he was before in front of him… Which bothered Silver. Because it could mean one of two things. One, and maybe this was some self bias on his part, is because Black thinks that he'll see through the act.

But… Silver was suspicious of him and his actions, but he didn't outright sense that there was this level of coldness about him… Silver could understand that, because he himself was indifferent to people around him. But he also knew that a part of him cared and needed companionship, and he felt guilt and remorse when people, especially those close to him, were hurt. Black, however… Black didn't seem to _care._ And judging by how he was acting right now, he didn't even care that he _had_ caused pain to other people.

So that only left the second option, the option that actually really _infuriated_ him. And that was that Black simply didn't think that he mattered enough to keep up his act in front of him.

"I may not be a walking lie-detector like Hilda, but I'm pretty good at connecting dots." Black spoke simply, approaching one of the unconscious construction workers. "Think about it, the routes are closed down through here under weather advisory unless you have a special suit. Now, I know that you don't have construction up in Johto, so let me explain. Bad weather plus heavy construction plus court cases against continuing construction equals bad. On top of that, what reason would they have for going in this direction, so far north of where the construction is taking place? So with that in mind,"

He lifted the construction worker by his jacket, then practically ripped it open. Underneath was the logo that was plastered all across Castelia.

"Team Plasma…" Silver trailed off. Looking around at the scattered pokémon and people, he felt his lip twitch. "Are all of these people Team Plasma?"

"Most certainly." Black let the man drop without a care. "There's probably many more here, all throughout the desert. Even if they aren't construction workers, this route isn't closed to traveling trainers, and it would be easy for them to say they're here for the environmental conservation of pokémon."

He shook his head with a sigh, rolling up his sleeve and bringing his X-transceiver out and typing in a number.

"These people are like a hive mind. They travel around in groups spouting the same, stale rhetoric." he muttered under his breath. Soon, whoever he called picked up, and his voice completely changed. "Hey! Oh, thank Arceus, I'm on route 4 between the construction sight and the Desert Resort! I-I don't know what happened but there's all these people, collapsed! How many? Uh…"

He let there be a pause, as if he were counting, though he kept his gaze straight ahead with a calm expression on his face, completely opposite of the panic that his voice displayed.

"I think around thirteen? I don't know, there might be more! No… No I don't know what happened, I just found them. Yeah, I'm alone. Alright, yeah, I can wait here."

"… And that was?" Silver asked as he hung up.

"A 911 call?" Black rolled his eyes in Silvers direction. "Come on, surely they have something similar in Johto? Or do you hicks just yell the message to each other until it reaches the village leader?"

Silver knew that Black was bating him, taunting him… And Silver couldn't understand _why._ It was bothering him beyond belief, because unlike anyone he's ever met, reckless Ethan who stoked the flames when someone else started the fight, impulsive Fire who sometimes let his emotions get the better of him… It was almost like Black didn't have a reason to antaognize him, he just seemed to _want to,_ almost for kicks.

Unfortunately for Black, he had two things that would never allow him to fall for his taunts. One was the fact that he had damn near two years of this nonsense with his fellow dexholders. At this point in his life, he could never fall for his petty taunts, not anymore. The second was that, with Lyra being the flighty, impulsive, happy-go-lucky character that she was… Well, months of dating and keeping up appearances instilled a strong sense of patience within him.

"Should I say it slower for you, so you can understand better? Or do I need to explain what a phone call is?" Black suddenly smirked, pushing his boundaries a little more. Silver clenched his teeth slightly.

 _That being said, as long as Lyra isn't here to witness it and force me to apologize, I_ ** _could_** _still clock him._

"Who are you going to have stand here?" Silver asked calmly, exhaling as he crossed his arms. "I can already tell that you don't plan on sticking around here for emergency personal."

"Of course I'm not going to stick around." Black rolled his eyes. "Team Plasma specifically targeted Hilda, if they're here and they find out she's here, then it's not safe."

Silver, was honestly taken aback by that. Given his prevous behavior, Silver assumed he couldn't care less about Hilda or Lyra, and yet he seemed to be expressing something akin to _concern._ Small, minimalistic concern, yes, but it was something other than his strange sense of calmness.

"That still doesn't answer my question. Who's gonna stand in?"

"Easy," Blacknlifted his head, and Silver followed his gaze. There, a random backpacker was approaching between the sandstorm. "Hey, man, can you help us out?!"

"Sure, what's u-" he cut himself off in horror as he stared at the unconscious people and pokémon.

"Listen, we found them laying here like this and I don't know what happened." Black's voice had a frantic tinge to it, his face morphing into the perfect look of panic as he approached the backpackers. "Unfortunately, our girlfriends ran off ahead of us to find help, and we're having trouble getting into contact with them. We're gonna head deeper in to try and find them before they get hurt or worse. We already called 911, can you stick around and explain what happened?"

"Yeah," the backpacker nodded with slight determination. "Sure, I've got you! Uh, what should I tell the police your names are once they get here?"

"I'm Hilbert, I made the call." Black lied seamlessly. "That guy over there, he's Chris."

"Gotcha," the backpacker nodded once, and stood in their place. "Go find your girls, you two, I'll take over from here."

"Thanks." Black offered the backpacker a smile, then looked over his shoulder at Silver. "C'mon, we've gotta move."

There was a moment of hesitation, but Silver quickly picked up his pace, offering a nod of thanks to the backpacker. Catching up to Black, he finally spoke.

"… What exactly is your relationship with Hilda?" Silver finally asked. Black didn't bother to answer.

"… I wouldn't say we have a _relationship,"_ Black spoke simply. "But I can say that my goal is to decimate Team Plasma. So if she's being targeted by Team Plasma, then I've got a multiple reasons to keep her within my line of sight."

Silver couldn't help but notice how perfectly vague that answer was. Were they friends? A couple? Enemies? Partners?

Or… was there really no relationship at all, and Hilda an unfortunate piece of bait that Black was using to lure out Team Plasma?

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda never wanted to say she was a quitter, but things were starting to look pretty dim. It felt like they were traversing through the desert for way longer than they should have, and at this point, she was worried they weren't going to get back before it turned dark.

"You okay, Hilda?"

Hilda lifted her head slightly, and saw Lyra staring down at her with obvious concern.

"It's just…" Hilda waved her hand through the air. "This is kinda stupid and reckless, now that I have more time to think about it. All over a stupid hat, you know?"

"No way," Lyra suddenly spoke softly, her smile reassuring. "I don't think that it was stupid or reckless."

"Really." Hilda's tone came out bluntly, and Lyra nervously laughed.

"Yeah, well, separating from Silver and Black was kinda stupid. And rushing headlong into a sandstorm during dangerous weather conditions was pretty reckless…"

"Not really helping." Hilda spoke sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"But I totally get the motive! That's why I went first!" Lyra exclaimed. Her expression suddenly softened, becoming almost somber. "'Cause I know if I had anything left from my Papa, I'd want to keep hold of it to."

"… Did you parents divorce too?"

"Messily." Lyra shrugged. "My Papa… He's dead now. Suicide. My mother was slandering his name in the divorce, but he wasn't a bad man." She let out a shuddery sigh. "I loved him very much, so even if this is stupid and reckless, I know that if I lost something that belonged to my Papa, or was given to me by my Papa, I'd want to get it back desperately too."

Lyra suddenly smiled, staring down at her.

"And your Dad seems like a really awesome person!"

"He is." Hilda smiled back at her, hoping to lighten the mood slightly. "He and my Mom had me when they were young, and he tried to make it work, but they couldn't. He wasn't ready to be tied down. Loved being a Dad, but loved traveling just as much. So they divorced, remained friends, and always tried to remain a constant in my life even though he travelled everywhere. He even gave me my first pokémon…"

"… You said he divorced your Mom because he didn't want to be tied down?"

"Yeah." Hilda looked at her oddly. "Why do you ask?"

"… Well, I met a guy who said he was your Dad when we were fighting Team Plasma in Castelia."

"Okay. And?"

"And Ghetsis acted like he new him, and implied that he was traveling around to keep their attention off of you."

"Well, yeah!" Hilda snapped. "That nutjob was probably threatening to use Mom and I against Dad in some way!"

"No, Hilda, it was like he wanted _you."_

Lyra suddenly looked as if she had said to much, and bit her lip. Hilda met Lyra's gaze with determination, recalling how Ghetsis taunted her with her Dad, as if he knew him, somehow.

"… What aren't you telling me?" she asked with a glare.

"… Um, it's really not my place to say…"

" _Lyra,"_ she insisted. "Outside of the fact that he's an experienced traveller and that he clearly cares about me and my Mom, I don't know him very well. Please, tell me what's going on!"

"It's just… Ghetsis seemed to know your Dad." Lyra whispered under her breath. "Implied they were partners at some point. I don't know the details, but I guess that's what was going on… I think if you want the full truth, though, you should ask your Dad."

Hilda contemplated that for a moment. Her Dad, the most honest and genuine man she knew, partnering with that sorry excuse for a human? Though Ghetsis had also implied being knowledgable on her father, she simply assumed it was because he was a creep and did his research on his kidnap victims. And judging by Lyra's expression, Hilda was already certain that she wasn't lying about this.

Subsequently, this caused worry to well up in the back of her mind. All her life she believed her father, though absent, was the peon that every man should follow. Loyal, compassionate, able to take responsibility for his actions… And very, very honest. So how on earth would a man like him possibly be working for a man like Ghetsis to begin with?

"That being said, you shouldn't doubt him." Lyra spoke reassuringly, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I know that even if he has a bad past, he has a hopeful and bright future."

"I already know that!" Hilda snapped. "And I wasn't doubting him."

"Then there's no need to worry about it! But seriously," Lyra's tone dropped slightly. "Just talk to him. It's wondrous what a conversation can do."

"Uh-huh, yeah." Hilda rolled her eyes. "So is that a part of your so called gifts or whatever you dexholders call them?"

"Out titles?" Lyra laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, not at all. I've just seen the magic of a conversation, that's all. If you're really curious, my title is The Treasurer."

"The Treasurer?" Hilda echoed, calling back to Lyra's jam-packed wallet. "Like, money?"

"No, not at all." Lyra placed a hand over her heart with a smile. "As in, the Treasurer of all lives. I was given the title because, according to Professor Oak, my love for everything and everyone allows them to flourish to their full potential."

"Oh." Hilda thought about that for a moment. "And the other dexholders?"

"Well, Silver is the Evolver." Lyra spoke slowly. "That's because he knows a lot about the power boost that pokémon goes through when they evolve. Subsequently, he uses this talent to evolve his pokémon so that they are as strong as they can be with each evolution."

"Do all of them have talents like that?"

"Yeah." Lyra shrugged. "Each dexholder is recognized as a dexholder due to an individual, unique talent that each one has that effects their pokémon or people around them."

Hilda pondered that for a second. Honestly, she couldn't see _what_ sort of talents she, Bianca, and Cheren would be given. But then again, outwardly, Lyra didn't strike her as the type to have a specialized talent either. So in that sense, maybe she would just let it drop and see what happens.

In the midst of the conversation, they ended up stumbling upon several stone-looking statues that were seemingly guarding what looked like a stairway descending into the earth. All around them was people wearing outfits similar to theirs, with the exception of one man.

"Shit." Hilda cursed under her breath as the unusually dressed man approached them both.

"Good day, travelers. My name is Ryoku, and this group here are members of an archaeological team with hopes to restore the Relic Castle to it's former glory."

"Uh huh, yeah." Hilda rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "So, did Ghetsis tell you to say that?"

"Ghetsis?" Lyra echoed. "… Team Plasma?!"

"… Ghetsis has warned us about you, Hilda." Ryoku spoke gently, almost as if he were a grandfatherly individual. Suddenly, the grunts stopped what they were doing and began to surround them. As they did so, Hilda readied herself for battle, Lyra also tensing for a fight.

"You are severely outnumbered right now, Hilda. It would be best if you just surrender peacefully."

"Yeah, how about _no."_ Hilda reached for her pokéballs. "I know you Plasma thugs aren't against violence or anything now. But unfortunately for you, neither am I!"

" _I've gotcha, Hilda!"_

She threw a pokéball into the air as the grunts unleashed their own pokémon. Dewott burst from the shell and immediately began slashing with his shells, while a giant green pokémon suddenly thundered past them, knocking most of the pokémon.

"Great going, Meganium!" Lyra cheered. "Just keep them at bay for as long as you can!"

As she spoke, she turned to Ryoku.

"Hey, mister! Listen, I really don't understand what you're doing right now, but we're just passing through! So if you could just let us go-"

"It's pointless." Hilda snapped at her. "I'm not sure what the hell Ghetsis wants with me, but he's after me."

Lyra was quiet, which caught Hilda's attention. There was something she knew that she wasn't saying… What had she encountered when she stormed Team Plasma's base with Silver, and apparently, her Dad?

"Do not hesitate." Ryoku extended his arm, commanding his grunts. "Lord Ghetsis cares only that we get the heir back to the base alive. Preferably unharmed, but if we must…"

"Dewott!" Hilda shot her arm out, and as if reading her mind, her pokémon shot out and knocked several pokémon aside.

" _Man, aren't these guys a bunch of weaklings! And here I thought we would be in trouble!"_ Dewott laughed. Preferring close handed combat, Hilda couldn't help but smile as he threw about taunts while deflecting other pokémon. Even if other people didn't quite understand what he was saying, she could tell the other pokémon did. And they were getting angry about it.

"You may be strong, that much is true," Ryoku suddenly spoke. "But how strong are you when we all charge at once?!"

And as if they were a part of a hive mind, the Plasma grunts ordered their pokémon to lunge. However, before they could reach them, an intimidating roar suddenly echoed overhead. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble violently, sending several pokémon to their knees. Plasma grunts let out cries of fear as they to were tossed aside by an unseen pokémon.

" _You lot… Dare to desecrate this sacred ground?!"_

Suddenly, as if the sands themselves were listening to the being, they cleared, revealing an orange, muscular, almost humanoid looking pokémon sitting upon what looked like a cloud. Silence suddenly fell over everyone, as if the sheer aura of this creature had hushed them out of fear.

"Landorus…" Ryoku suddenly whispered. Then, he turned and bolted towards the staircase.

"Hey, wait-!" Hilda cried out, prepared to go after him, when suddenly...

"Wh-What the heck is that?!" Lyra suddenly cried out, stumbling back as Meganium stood guard over her. Landorus seemed to take notice of her yell, and with a furious glare, settled his eyes on her.

" _Are you also among those who are attacking the Relic Castle?!"_

"Dammit!" Hilda hissed, immediately changing her plan. Even if she didn't want to let that guy go, she also knew she couldn't just leave Lyra here. And even still…

She remembered the promise she made to Ghetsis, to use her so-called "gift" to bring people and pokémon closer together. If there was no better chance to use it..

"Hey!" she slid between the two, arms out. Dewott also mimicked the action, though he was standing in front of her. "Listen! So all these jerks are traipsing around here and messing up your territory! You're pissed about that! I totally get it! But Lyra,"

She gestured wildly to the girl behind her.

"Isn't a part of that! She's with me, and we're just looking for my hat 'cause the sandstorm blew it off my head! So that being said," she crossed her arms and glared at Landorus. "You're being a rude ass! You just assumed that we were with them, when we were actually fighting them off!"

Landorus simply stared at her with harsh, critical eyes, not saying a word. Then, a shriek that didn't sound quite human echoed from the staircase to the Relic Castle. Hilda strained to look around Landorus, but he completely blocked her line of sight, looking as if he recognized the shriek.

" _Volcarona…"_

The words came out in a worried, unsettled tone. Then, he turned back to her, uncrossed his arms and shoved something on her head. Immediately recognizing it as her hat, Hilda had no clue what to say. However, Landorus kept the visor of her cap in his hand. As if this was a means to keep her still, he leaned in close, and spoke.

" _If that is what you called 'fighting them off', seer, then you have much more work to do."_

Then, the sandstorm kicked up again, immediately blocking her line of sight as Landorus disappeared.

"That was crazy!" Lyra exclaimed, suddenly running up next to her. "What was that, even?!"

"A little something that runs in the family." Hilda shrugged. "… Do you think we should follow Landorus?"

"I don't know." Lyra rocked on her feet a bit, as if contemplative. "He seemed really upset, and I don't want to upset him further. Plus…"

She glanced around at the half-conscious Plasma grunts.

"It looks like he can handle himself… Besides, I really need to get back to Silver! Even though he doesn't look it, he gets super worried super fast!"

"… Yeah." Hilda nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can get that. Besides, I don't think we should stick around in Landorus's territory for to long."

o.0.o.0.o

Surprisingly, it didn't take to long for them to find, or rather, run into, Silver and Black. Lyra made a huge show of it, explaining what had happened in practically one breath. Black mentioned running into Plasma grunts as well, but not much else was said.

In the end, due to their little sidetracked mission, they didn't make it to Nimbassa in one day. So they ended up finding a little inn that was, according to the receptionist, about a days walk from Nimbassa.

At this point, Hilda was just happy to not only have her hat back, but also Victini. So, with everyone else basically shacking up for the night, Hilda made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

"These locks are ridiculous."

Hilda flinched, then hurled the closest thing to the intruder, which happened to be a spare roll of toilet paper.

"Well, at least you didn't scream."

"What the actual f*ck, Silver?!"

"There it is." Silver sighed, setting the caught toilet paper aside. "Listen, I just wanted to talk to you when you weren't holding you bag. Since everyone else is asleep, this was the best option I could think of."

"Oh, yeah, and asking totally isn't the normal route to go with that." Hilda snapped back sarcastically as Silver shut the door behind him. "How the hell did you even get in here? I locked the door!"

"Like I said," Silver spoke simply, holding up his trainers license. Hilda noticed a few fine scratches on the piece of plastic, indicating this wasn't his first attempt at breaking into a locked room with it. "These locks are ridiculous."

Locking the door behind him, he walked across the room and turned the shower on.

" _Fantastic,"_ Hilda rolled her eyes. "Just a talk my ass."

"I don't want know what you're implying, but if you're implying _that,_ don't hold yourself to such a high esteem." Silver turned back to her. "This is just to drown out our conversation, as well as so nobody suspects anything. I already know that _if_ I wanted to try anything, you'd probably break a bone in my body."

"Several." Hilda snarled out. "I'll find a way to drown you in the shower, if push comes to shove."

"Then let's stop wasting time so this doesn't look remotely suspicious." Silver crossed his arms. "What's up with Black?"

"What do you mean 'what's up' with him?" Hilda asked back. "He's an insufferable asswipe with a few redeeming qualities."

"But does he act strange around you? Like he's emotionless? Excessively violent?"

"When you say it like that, yeah." Hilda shrugged. "Black has his moments. He gets really weird sometimes, and I always feel like he's lying to me. Like, he smiles a lot right? But his eyes aren't smiling."

"Go on."

"… They're just cold. And not like, he's serious and stoic, like you. Like… Like there's nothing really there. As for excessively violent…" Hilda trailed off. "I don't know if he's ever been really violent with or in front of me, but I do know that he doesn't seem to have much regards for other people's emotions. Like, one time he brought out a really big pokémon to show to a bunch of toddlers, and he didn't get why it freaked them out. And he's always playing around with people's emotions, like, flirting with people, getting their hopes up, getting a rise out of people…"

She shook her head in frustration.

"I don't know! Maybe it's less about him not understanding other people's emotions, but more about getting a kick from a reaction? I don't really know or get him…"

"Are you… close to him?"

"Lets rewind and think about my description of him." Hilda muttered back sarcastically. "Listen. If you want the truth, Black has this ongoing bet with me. Basically, he's trying to get me to say 'I love you' in three hundred days or less. It's something he does with a lot of girls he works with, I guess, and a huge sum of prize money was wracked up. I really need the money. My mom really needs the money. So I'm putting up with him, and once I win the bet, then I'm hightailing it away from him as fast as possible."

"… When were were separated, Black and I ran into some Team Plasma members." Silver explained slowly. "Maybe this isn't a side you've seen, or it's connected to the way he acts, but he just violently tossed them aside… I think he even broke on persons arm."

"Well, they were Team Plasma!" Hilda snapped back. "They probably tried to steal his pokémon or-"

" _Hilda,_ " Silver spoke her name sharply. "They were disguised as construction workers. There was no way, outwardly, that he could have spotted them as Plasma members, and even if one of them taunted him, the next reaction should not have been physical harm. Hilda, I think he's dangerous."

"… I get that too." Hilda clenched her fists, averting her gaze. "I get that he might be trouble to. That he's a liar, that he's hiding something… But even still…"

She trailed off, feeling her fingernails dig into her skin.

"… I need to know who the hell he is. But he won't be honest with me." Hilda lifted her gaze to Silvers, unleashing her suspicions. "Listen. I think he wants something from the dexholders. He may even want a dex for himself. He showed up in Nuvema asking about getting one from Professor Juniper. Claimed he was her nephew. Ever since then, he's been hanging around with us. Which I know could be because of the bet, but even still… He might have even started that bet with me specifically because he wanted to get his hands on my dex."

"Or he could be lying about the entire bet."

"He's not." Hilda hardened her gaze. "Listen to me, he may be lying about a lot of things, he may be an asshole, but he wasn't lying about that. And before you say it, it's not my wishful thinking."

Silver was silent, as if analyzing her, then spoke.

"So what should we do to prove this suspicion right?"

"… When we first met him, Black gave me, Cheren, and Bianca a new version of the town map, said his dad worked for a company that produced the town maps. Said his dad asked him to put them to the test on our journey before they could distribute it to the public. However, right before we met you, actually, he said his father _invested_ in the company. I also found out that they actually came out three and a half months ago, which was just before we began our journey."

Hilda lifted her gaze.

"I might be overthinking this, but I can't see the reason to lie about something like this."

"Do you think it was tampered with?"

"No clue," Hilda crossed her arms. "I honestly don't use it much, because I've been traveling with him, and he usually handled directions and all that. But that's all I could think of as to a way to get something against him."

"… I'll get the town map once we get to Nimbassa." Silver spoke simply.

"What, do you want me to give it to you, or…?"

"No." Silver shook his head, going towards the door. "Don't worry about it."

"Silver-" Hilda found herself speaking up, wanting to remind him of Black's redeemable qualities, if they are few, but was met only with the sound of the door shutting. Staring at the wooden door with irritation, she crossed her arms in the empty bathroom. "… Asshole."

o.0.o.0.o

"Hey, Hilda, can I come in?"

Hilda lifted her head from her pillow, surprised that Black was bothering her this late. What the hell did he want when she was trying to go to sleep?

"If you want, but you gotta let yourself in."

The door cracked open, and Black peeked his head in. He was lacking his jacket, as well as his hat. He let himself in fully with a small chuckle.

"I didn't realize you shared this bed with literally everyone."

"Yeah, well," Hilda shrugged as she carefully rolled out of bed, sitting up. Around her, her pokémon shifted in their sleep, filling in the spots where she had perviously been laying. "They like it, and I like the company… Even if the little jerks take up the whole bed half the time."

Turning back to Black, who stood across from her, she spoke.

"So what do you want?"

"To understand something." he crossed his arms slightly. "That hat is a dollar a piece at any pokémart. You, myself, or your father for the matter, could get it anywhere. So why, in the middle of construction work, in the middle of a sandstorm, and judging by our stories, in the middle of Team Plasma roaming the area… Would you run after it to get it back?"

"… Simple." Hilda stood, knowing full well she would loose all her room on the bed now, and grabbing her hat that hung on the post. Then, turning it upwards so that he could see the inside, she showed him the brim under her hat.

"No need to worry." Black read, eyes tracing over the stitching.

"My Dad got this for me, and my Mom stitched that there." Hilda smiled at it. "Basically, it stands for a lot of things. No need to worry about her, no need to worry about money… But I always do."

"You never struck me as the type to worry endlessly." Black commented after a while.

"I'm not." Hilda answered. "But I've always worried about my Mom. Always swore up and down that I would make a ton of money just so she wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. So she's just telling me to not worry about it, and just enjoy the ride."

She took the hat back from him with a small smile.

"It's sentimental, so I don't expect you to get it. But this was a collective gift from my parents, and they've been separated since I was three. Even though I know they love me to death, this hat reminds me of my Dad's kindness and devotion, reminds me that my Mom's gonna be alright while I'm away."

"… I think I can get it."

That honestly caught her by surprise. Mostly because Black… Well, his voice wasn't exactly gentle, but soft. Very much understanding.

"What, do you have something you're stupidly, sentimentally attached to?" Hilda teased. "You don't strike me as the type."

"Because I'm not." Black answered, suddenly meeting her gaze. There, Hilda saw an expression that was rather odd. His smile was there, though it was small. And his eyes, instead of cold and blank, was sad. Really, really sad. "All I have left are memories."

Hilda suddenly felt as if she unintentionally treaded upon grounds that she wasn't supposed to. Very much desperate for a change of subject, Hilda's eyes shot from his face to his hair.

"I didn't expect your hair to look like that." she commented offhandedly. Black suddenly blinked in surprise, then spoke.

"My hair?"

"Yeah. I didn't think it would be all spikey like that." she gestured at his hair. "Like, I honestly thought it would've laid flat under that hat. I kinda like it."

"… You like it." Black echoed, then chuckled. Hilda braced herself as she realized the mistake she made. She had, unintentionally, complimented him. Waiting for his ego to suddenly start screaming and bragging about how he now had an upper hand over her… But his reaction really took her aback.

"What?!" he demanded. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing." Black continued to laugh. "Nothing! I hate my hair!"

"You hate it?!"

"Hate it!" Black insisted, meeting her gaze again, his eyes now dancing with laughter. "I hate how, no matter how hard I try, I can never get it to lay flat! My hat is this stupid form of damage control, and even then it tries to remain spiked up! So I find it hilarious that, of all the things about me, of every possible, conceivable positive trait I have, you happen to like the _one thing_ I loathe!"

He didn't stop laughing throughout the entire little speech. And honestly, seeing him laughing like that made Hilda crack a smile too. This might have been the first time that she's ever seen him laugh, or even smile, in such a genuine manner…

"Thank you." Black said with an inhale. "Seriously, I needed that."

"… I meant it." Hilda suddenly jabbed him in the shoulder. "And now, I know how to drag a laugh out of you too! Compliment this hair of yours!"

"Now now," Black wagged his finger at her like a nagging parent. "Same trick won't work twice on me."

"We'll see." Hilda smirked. "Maybe I need to get you by surprise again."

"Yeah," Black rolled his eyes. "Sure. You can try."

"Is that a challenge?"

"If you want it to be."

Black suddenly turned on his heel, heading towards the door.

"Anyways, we're gonna wake up sharp and early tomorrow morning, so you better get to sleep." he glanced back at her bed. "Or try to."

"I'll be up at the crack of dawn!" she snapped back with her hands on her hips. "You'll see."

"We will see," Black glanced back at her. To her surprise, his normal expression hadn't plastered back on his face. His face was more relaxed, his eyes matching his expression. He seemed… amused. "Good night, Hilda."

"… Night."

Her farewell was directed at the door, however, shut with no further response from Black. Somehow feeling strangely fulfilled by the conversation from Black, she turned back to her bed…

"Honestly!" she snapped, reaching for the blanket and yanking it up, forcing all her pokémon but Eevee-who was on her pillow, to the side. "Make room for me, you little jerks!"

o.0.o.0.o

 **So, this was waaaaaaay longer than I expected. So sorry!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	25. Nimbassa, City of Fun and Dreams

**Hey everyone. Dunno if I directly said this, but Reality of Serenity is kinda dead. Like, not dead forever, but that story should probably get deleted until I get to part 6 to rewrite it. Like, completely. Because while I was working on this, I began working on new ideas for it, and trying to reincorporate them into the chapters would be tedious, overwhelming, and, well, easier for me to just rewrite it.**

 **So yeah, just wanted to get that off my chest. Officially changing the title to indicate that it's no longer a part of the saga, as well as the fact that it's being rewritten.**

 **Anyways, onto the saga!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, and the Bennets.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 22nd, X017_

Elesa was slowly loosing interest in the council meeting among the gym leaders, staring absentmindedly ahead as she drummed her manicure nails on the table in a rhythmic fashion.

After the Team Plasma debacle in Castelia, Drayden had called them to this emergency meeting immediately, going so far as to send transport to some of the more far flung Gym Leaders. At this point, some voices spoke louder than the rest. Lenora immediately accused Team Plasma as being a terrorist group, citing incidences such as them stealing from her museum and completely capturing Castelia. Burgh and Clay were quick to agree. Clay because, in his own rule of justice, a thief is a criminal and criminals must be brought to justice.

For Burgh the implications were more serious. He noted that three trainers were captured in the midst of this thing, identities kept secret for confidentiality. One, apparently, was from a well to do family and was being held for ransom. The other two seemed to have just been caught up in the madness, but those two ultimately fell from the roof of the building, and would have no doubt died had a good samaritan not intervened.

On the other hand, there were Gym Leaders who didn't quite agree with what they were saying. Skyla noted that this seemed ridiculous because, in Mistralton and areas around it, Team Plasma was apparently being very helpful. They showed no harm or intent of malice towards anyone or anything in the city, instead helping the environment by cleaning up litter and teaching the citizens some environmentally friendly methods to help preserve pokémon habitats. Brycen also noted similar activities in Iccirus City, though they seemed more interested in Dragonspiral Tower. When questioned about their intentions, he was told that they were researching ghost type habitats and how to make ghost types more comfortable in other environments. Since no harm had come to his city yet, he couldn't give an accurate analysis on whether or not they were bad or good.

The Striaton trio admitted they've had mixed feelings about the group because, on one hand, they apparently attacked the Dream Yard, and on the other hand, they are also working in their city and others to preserve such habitats for pokémon.

Drayden was good at putting on an act. Like Skyla and Brycen reported, they seemed to be trying to help pokémon in Opelucid City, as well as putting on protests and speeches. They've even been trying to contact him for diplomatic purposes. However, based on what Elesa had heard through the grapevine, they all knew why Drayden had set this up. Team Plasma had targeted Iris and attempted to kidnap her. Though he was trying to see both sides of the fence, it was pretty clear what opinion he had of Team Plasma at this point.

With this, arguments began to break out among everyone, bickering and squabbling over who was right and who was wrong. In the midst of this, Elesa had quickly lost interest, and began to try to find other means to distract herself. However, there was very little one could do in a plain white council room with a long wooden table. One would think that, with this being the Nimbassa City Council Room, it would have more color…

"Elesa."

The deep tone of command from Drayden made her realize how loud the _clackity-clackity-clack_ of her nails on the table was. Stopping immediately, she folded her fingers into a fist and tucked it under her chin.

"Yes?"

"We're asking what's going on in Nimbassa." Cress helpfully informed her. "What's Team Plasma doing here?"

"Well," Elesa tossed one of the cords on her headphones over her shoulder, then leaned forward and rested elbows on the table and her chin on her folded hands. "From what I understand, they're very vocal about protesting here. Annoyingly so. Considering this is the performance capital of Unova, they're not so happy that pokémon take place in some of the performances, whether they are willing or not. They seem to blame me especially for this, saying I encourage the 'demeaning acts' by doing modeling shoots with my pokémon."

"Well, that's dumb." Skyla suddenly piped up across the room. "Elesa, the entire point of most of your shoots is to promote people and pokémon working in harmony."

"That's the entire point of Nimbassa." Elesa commented, leaning back in her chair. "I've worked very hard to give this city the reputation it has. Of course there are bad apples, but we work hard to make sure those bad apples are thrown away before anything gets worse. But these goons in my city won't listen to my reason. So like a petulant child, I'm hoping that if I simply ignore them, they'll go away."

"Or also like a petulant child, they'll throw an even bigger fit in order to get your attention." Burgh suddenly claimed. "Team Plasma had a base in my city. I thought they would be docile activists, but instead they shut down my entire city and was holding us all captive."

"But I can't outright have my police force arrest them for not doing anything wrong." Elesa spoke. "Even we have mixed opinions on their intentions. Half of us say they're peaceful advocates, the other half says they're a terrorist group. How are we supposed to stop them?"

"By arrestin' them, no matter their intentions!" Clay suddenly announced.

"Yes, but at the expense of having an hate article written about us abusing our power as Gym Leaders?" Elesa shot back.

"She has a point, Clay." Drayden suddenly spoke. "Team Plasma has set themselves up to be the victim in any action we take. There's such a mixed opinion in the public right now that if we simply round them up right now, half the country would be against it, especially since it wasn't until the past couple months that they became violent."

"With that," Brycen suddenly spoke. "If we do arrest them, Team Plasma, on the other hand, could say that those are just extremist factions they took out of the group, even if they are members united under one cause. Since we won't know until something happens, they've successfully backed us into a corner of waiting for a reason to arrest them."

"And if we do so prematurely, it'll just prove their point." Elesa sighed. "Gym leaders are power hungry mongrels who promote the abuse and slavery of pokémon or whatever."

"So are we just supposed to play a waiting game?!" Lenora suddenly demanded, slamming her fist onto the table. "Look at what they've done so far! They clearly have nothing against hurting people, one of them even attacked a girl with a Scolipede! She had to be air-lifted to Castelia general for Zekrom's sake! Before we know it we'll have a mob akin to Team Rocket running amok in Unovian streets!"

"Yes, but like Elesa was saying," Skyla interjected. "It's not like Team Rocket because Team Rocket was a mob _built_ on crime! If you look at a Team Rocket member, you knew that member was a criminal! At this point, with so many different opinions on Team Plasma, we can't pinpoint who's a criminal and who's an activist!"

"But isn't it better," Clay shot back gruffly. "To nip a weed in the bud before it decides to overtake the garden? Or are we 'spose to just let Team Plasma grow 'til we can't manage it no more?"

At this, everyone looked to Drayden, who had sat silently, listening to them bicker up until this point. Considering his place in power, Elesa couldn't help but sense the thoughts hanging over everyone's heads. They had heard news of Team Plasma's doings across Unova at this point. _If_ they truly were dangerous, then Drayden, being president and the head Gym Leader, would be one of their biggest obstacles in Unova. If they already set out a target for Iris, would they still try to procure her in order to manipulate Drayden?

"… We cannot, in good faith, order our police forces to just round up Team Plasma members on a whim, especially with how precarious their standing is in comparison to our own. By doing that would silence their right to free speech, and it could get all of us removed from our current standings."

"So then what should we do?" Cilan asked in a nervous, meek voice. Drayden sighed, stroking his beard as he tried to think of a solution. Finally, he spoke.

"Brycen, you said Team Plasma has been docile in Iccirus, correct?"

"Truthfully, they've been spending all their time in Dragonspiral Tower, and are sleeping in an inn on the outskirts of town."

"I'm going to send Iris to live with you until Team Plasma is ironed out." Drayden said simply. "I know that with your skill, should she run off, you can catch her quickly. As for Team Plasma… There's nothing we can do until a crime is committed. However, as president, if a crime is committed and Team Plasma is one hundred percent linked to the crime in question, I want them arrested and questioned immediately." he stood, indicating the meeting was coming to an end. "I will draft this document by the end of today, and send it to all of you in two days to be approved. Is this satisfactory?"

There was a heavy silence over the ten gym leaders. Clearly, this idea did not satisfy all their wants for the situation at hand, but it was the best that Drayden could come up with. Finally, Elesa pushed her chair back and stood.

"I'm perfectly fine with that. It allows us to take immediate action if something does happen," smirking a coy smirk, she crossed her arms. "Perhaps we should send a copy of this new law to Team Plasma? As a warning to be a little more discreet."

"I can attest to that," Brycen suddenly said, standing as well. "Though they have been nonviolent in Iccirus, it best be known to the enemy that we are prepared and willing to take action if they should try."

"And as long as we're still protecting the ones who really are activists, then I'm fine with it too!" Skyla stood.

After that, everyone slowly stood, agreeing to the law with the condition that they send a warning to Team Plasma to possibly deter any further actions. Drayden stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.

"Once it is passed, I will send an additional copy to their base located in Opelucid. If that is all," he turned towards the door. "This meeting is adjourned. Go as you will."

o.0.o.0.o

"Oh my goodness… Yes! This'll be so much fun!"

Lyra clapped her hands in joy as she stood at the route gate. Hilda stood next to the bubbly teen, dismantling the protective gear. Hilda could already hear the sounds of bustling people, and unlike Castelia, which seemed filled to the brim with business people and young entrepreneurs, Nimbassa just seemed filled normal people. Families, couples… Here and there, it looked like there was aspiring performers and models, but otherwise it was mostly a tourist city.

"Lyra, come on." Silver grabbed her arm before she could go bolting off. "You don't even know where you're going, what are you going to do if you get lost?"

"Oh, come on!" Lyra laughed. "Sometimes, you find the most beautiful things when you get one hundred percent lost."

"Can we at least shack up in a pokémon center first?" Hilda asked, managing to shove most of the material into her bag and marching forward. "The days only begun and I'm already exhausted."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't battled every trainer you came across, you wouldn't be exhausted." Black smiled a cheeky smile at her.

"Not to mention behind." Silver glared at her. "We honestly wouldn't have had to have camped last night if you didn't insist on stopping to battle _everyone."_

"And to dig around in the sand dunes." Lyra let out a sad little sigh. "Like, I understand wanting to build a sandcastle and all that, but sands no fun when it's flying into every opening on your body…"

"Oh, _come on!"_ Hilda snapped at them. "Digging around found us a bunch of star shards and evolution stones, right?! I'll be rolling in dough once I sell most of it off, and plus I have a Sun Stone for Petilil once she wants to evolve!"

"For all our trouble you should split the profits." Silver sighed, shaking his head. "But anyways, Lyra, Hilda has a point. We should rest up at the center and gather ourselves before we start traipsing around Nimbassa."

"Okay, I can do that!" Lyra was practically bouncing with excitement as she latched herself to Silver, practically dragging him through the streets. Once they were out of earshot, Hilda crossed her arms, feeling a smile quirk it's way to her face.

"You know, for being complete opposites, they work well together, don't they?"

"… I don't really see it."

"What do you mean you don't see it?!" Hilda snapped in response to Black's blunt answer. "Are you blind?!"

"All I'm seeing is _someone_ seems a little to focused on couples." Black held out his arm with a grin. "Maybe you're looking for a certain arm to latch onto?"

Hilda simply glared at him, then grabbed onto his arm. Standing taller to look him in the eye, she spoke.

"Go to hell, asswipe."

"Hilda?"

Hilda snapped her head in the direction of the voice calling her, then felt a wave of cringe wash over body. Cheren was staring at her with a quirked eyebrow, Bianca's face was completely red, and Vale simply stared straight ahead with a stoney expression on her face.

"I'm sorry!" Bianca exclaimed. "Um, excuse me!"

Then, she darted down the roads of Nimbassa. Hilda shoved Black away, then turned to Cheren and Vale.

"What's up with Bianca? Usually she doesn't run off…"

"She's probably just tired." Vale shrugged, also walking around them. "I really worked her hard while we were training."

"Not to mention we practically made the trek in a day." Cheren pulled off his glasses, then brought out a cleaning clothe and began to run it across the lenses. "It honestly should have taken four days max, but Vale wanted to hurry here as quickly as possible."

"Vale?" Black suddenly questioned, casting his gaze back to the taller woman, though she was already far ahead chasing after Bianca. "I could understand Bianca, but why Vale?"

Hilda rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder, hoping to get his attention off his two friends

"Maybe Vale happens to like amusement parks, asswipe." turning to Cheren, she spoke. "Hey, ya know… Maybe you should try to talk to Bianca to? I mean, we just met up and everything, I have no clue what her problem is."

"I supposed I can do that." Cheren sighed, shoulders sinking slightly. "In exchange, please make sure to get us rooms at the center. Hopefully there's enough left considering how much of a tourist hotspot this is…"

Hilda, clapping him on the shoulder and giving him a little shove forward, smiled.

"I've gotcha, buddy."

o.0.o.0.o

Vale let out a low sigh of irritation as she bumbled through the streets of Nimbassa in order to find Bianca. This city was a lot like Castelia, crowded to the brim with chattering people. But unlike Castelia, where if she unintentionally bumped into someone, she got a dirty look, this time if she bumped into someone, she got pestering questions asking if she knew where the amusement park is

At first, Vale couldn't figure out _why_ people were asking this, but when one kid asked her how she was balancing on her stilts, she understood why; _they thought she was a circus freak._

Honestly. _Honestly._ She already knew that her height was strange at best, but was it really so terribly strange that these people would assume she was a freak that belonged in a theme park as some attraction? If it weren't for N to begin with, she wouldn't even want to be here.

Apparently, N was becoming more open to communication, and even went so far as to have a pokémon fly a note to her. She wasn't sure what was with his sudden change of heart, considering how their previous interactions showed he held a high amount of disdain for her.

The thought had crossed her mind that the note was nothing but a farce that N was coerced into by Ghetsis, or even written by Ghetsis himself. After all, how would she know what either handwriting looked like? But at this point, communication was communication, even if it was a trap.

But at this point, everything was becoming convoluted, becoming dangerously entangled. She had seen Silver and Lyra walking away from Hilda and Black. So not only was Black running amok in this city, but so was N, possibly Ghetsis and Team Plasma, as well as Silver. She was fairly certain that Silver still thought that she was dead, and now with so many people knowing about her and clearly interacting, how long could she avoid Silver? How long would the secret remain a secret?

At this point, everything was becoming substantially worse. She needed to find N and see what he wanted before this pile of lies collapsed in on her.

So, at this point, she didn't have _time_ for whatever had set Bianca off emotionally. Arceus forbid, Vale didn't hate the girl. She was jealous of her, Bianca was both kind and amusing in her own unique way. But Vale did not enjoy dealing with her emotional outbursts. It wasted time and made everything… complicated.

But at this point, being anywhere that wasn't around Silver was a plus. If Vale could direct Bianca to at least hang around Silver, then she at least had the peace of mind that she would be safe, as strong as Silver was.

Thankfully, Bianca was easy to spot, considering the colors she wore. She was sitting on a bench, lip quivering, tears brimming around her eyes. Not particularly looking forward to dealing with her emotions, but not willing to leave her unattended, she approached her.

"What is it this time?"

Her blunt delivery of the question seemed to startle Bianca. She flinched, then looked up.

"Oh, hey, Vale." Bianca twiddled her thumbs, then scrubbed at her cheeks and eyes. "Um, can I ask you something? Girl to girl?"

Sensing this was going to be a longer conversation than she initially had thought, Vale slowly sat down on the bench next to Bianca.

"What is it?" she asked again.

"Vale, um, say that you had a really, really good friend. A childhood friend. And you two are thick as thieves, right? And, like, right when you start your journey, a guy shows up. And he's super handsome and charming and he makes you feel like there are a bunch of little baby Volcorona's fluttering around in your stomach. And you really like this guy. But… your best friend also seems to like this guy. So… So what do you do?"

"I would start by not speaking hypothetically about the entire conversation from the person who I'm asking advice from."

Her blunt response didn't seem to be the type of response Bianca was looking for, because she bit her lip and tears seemed to become even more prevalent. Sniffing loudly, she bowed her head.

"It kinda looked like Hilda was about to kiss Black earlier, huh?"

"Did it?" Vale asked, leaning back on the bench with a sigh. This is what upset her so much that she ran away in a fit of tears?

"Why else would Hilda be so close to his face, then?!" Bianca suddenly exclaimed. "I don't know what to do! If Hilda really does like Black, then… Then as her best friend, I should let her have him, right?!"

Vale honestly had no clue how to approach this subject. The best way to get Bianca back with Silver, and in extension, Black, was to comfort her. But subsequently, this would not only encourage her to pursue this crush she has on Black, but it would also would make Bianca more emotionally attached to her and thus encourage her to follow her around more so than before. Not to mention…

 _I'm probably the worst person she could possibly ask for advice in terms of romance and relationships…_

"Oh, Vale, I just don't know what to do!" Bianca suddenly sobbed into her hands. Vale let out a sigh, then spoke.

"Bianca, I can't tell you what to do." Vale spoke slowly and carefully. Lifting her head slightly, she already saw Cheren coming through the crowd. Had Hilda sent him to come after her as well? "I can't give you good advice on this situation in particular. I think what you need to do is decide if you value your friendship with Hilda more than your feelings for Black, and vice versa. I can't tell you what to do, Bianca."

As she lifted her head to see how much closer Cheren was, she felt her entire form freeze. Far off in the distance, staring right at her, was N. He was a bit far off, and hiding in the shadows, but that was him, right _there._

Then, he turned and began to walk away.

"Anyways, Bianca, like I said, you need to face your own problems on your own, because I can't help you in the slightest right now." Vale quickly stood.

"Vale?" Bianca asked her with a quivering voice. "Where… Where are you going?"

"Um…" Vale trailed off just as Cheren approached, then glanced down at Bianca. "See, maybe Cheren could be more helpful here, since I'm not all that familiar with Black or Hilda. At least, not as familiar as you two are! So, yeah… I've gotta go, okay?"

"Wait, hold on!" Bianca suddenly reached out and snatched her wrist. "Vale, you're acting weird!"

"Bianca is right," Cheren adjusted his glasses slightly. "You seem… rushed."

"I'm fine." Vale spoke simply. "I'm just not well suited for relationship advice."

Then, she turned on her heel and began to walk away, only breaking into a run once she was sure she was out of sight of Cheren and Bianca.

o.0.o.0.o

 **Basically, this was a "I'mma just gonna set up some events for the upcoming chapters" chapter. A lot is gonna be happening in Nimbassa, so I can't wait to write it!**

 **Thanks for reading?**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	26. Heartache

**So Leaf is in Let's Go. WOOO! For years, Nintendo almost refused to even acknowledge Leaf as existing, like she was some faux pa that was a mistake they didn't want to talk about. I freaking covet Leaf, she finally got the recognition she deserved… Which begs to question how I would incorporate this game into the saga.**

 **Truthfully, IDK. I might have to see where Nintendo goes with Lets go, if they're gonna make more games like it, if they're gonna remake other regions with references with the old characters… When I originally saw Lets Go, I thought the best option would be to write a "second gen" fic, staring Willow(Leaf and Gary's daughter) and Auburn(Fire and Dayna's son). However, with this, I was also thinking of maybe twisting around Rainbow Rocket and putting that as the Kanto villian instead of just having Team Rocket come back.**

 **Honestly, I don't know. I just don't think that cannonconically, Leaf, Red, and Blue can exist alongside Team Rocket. Honestly, all of Kanto might go under revision. New gym leaders, a new E4(or an E4 made up of dexholders!).**

 **Of course, I have to get through the rest of the saga for that to happen! So please bare with me, no matter how long it takes me to update!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokemon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 22nd, X017_

Hilda decidedly faceplanted on the bed that she rented from the pokémon center. She was tired, that much was sure. Yeah, she dragged everyone through the desert just to find treasures and earn herself a pretty poke, but now that she was on her bed, she was _exhausted,_ and ready to sleep. But…

"Ooooooooh Hilda!"

Hilda groaned as she rolled over. Lyra had happily decided to barge into her room, making her presence known.

"C'mon, c'mon! It already took me forever to get Silver to the lobby, I just need you!"

"Lyra," Hilda groaned, glaring at her out of the corner of her eye. "Kindly go to hell. I'm going to bed, I'll frolic around tomorrow."

"Oh, c'mon!" Lyra exclaimed, gripping her arm and shaking her shoulder. Hilda groaned, wondering if, considering their similar personalities, Lyra would be as easy to fool as Bianca. "And don't try lying to me or anything!"

Hilda slowly sat up. Considering Lyra knew her Dad, or at least met him, did that mean she knew about the gene she inherited from him? Either way, Hilda knew she wouldn't be able to lie either way, it's just… _She just wanted to stay here and take a nap, dammit._

"Why don't you just go bother Black and I'll sleep for an hour, okay?"

"Oh, Black already left." Lyra spoke chipperly. Hilda arched an eyebrow, then spoke.

"… Eh?"

"Yeah, Black already left. I don't know where he went, I think he said something about Bianca?" Lyra shrugged. "I dunno."

"Bianca?" Hilda echoed, shooting up. "Oh, _hell no…!"_

Yanking on her boots, she marched past Lyra. Cheren worked way to hard to impress Bianca, to try to get her to notice him despite his denial. It was almost a decade long relationship that Cheren had been delicately nurturing so not to overwhelm Bianca. Hilda had been doing all she could to get Cheren to step past that 'respecting the Arceus damned friend zone' line and actually take a chance. Not to mention the fact that Black just barely made it past the somewhat redeemable asshole mark in her book.

A somewhat redeemable asshole is _no where near_ good enough for Bianca!

o.0.o.0.o

Cheren felt his heart ache slightly as he tagged alongside Bianca. The girl seemed happier now that her mind was off her current heartache, though it did little to alleviate his own.

Upon Vale's departure and his arrival, Bianca just began to babble about everything. About how she felt about Black. About how she didn't know what to do about Hilda 'liking' Black. About how she wasn't sure if she was being a good or a bad friend by liking Black. About what Hilda would do in her shoes.

Cheren was fairly certain that Hilda hated Black, but he and Bianca both knew the answer in their hearts. Hilda was very honest about her feelings, and true to her heart. It would be impossible for her _to_ hold back. If, against the slim possibility that Hilda did have feelings for Black, they would know… wouldn't they?

Honestly, Cheren couldn't say anymore. Hilda had always been honest when confronted, but would she keep secrets from them? Could she? Or was it more so that Cheren _wanted_ Hilda to keep her feelings a secret from them. Because as long as Hilda supposedly has these feelings, Bianca would stay away from Black. Bianca, in the midst of all her babbling, admitted it herself. She came to the conclusion that, to be a good friend, she had to let Hilda have Black.

Cheren did like Bianca, even though he didn't want to admit it to anyone. Yet, much to Hilda's mischievous, teasing delight, he found himself climbing rose trellises to Bianca's room to deliver pokémon food to her. No matter how insane the request, no matter how silly the activity, Cheren could never find it in himself to actually refuse Bianca.

It had been that way since they were children. Cheren had always lived in Nuvema, though his mothers legal work often kept her from home, while his father was reluctant to let him leave due to his OCD. He was just afraid of his home "becoming contaminated"… But due to this, Cheren never really interacted with children his age until Hilda yanked the three of them together. When Bianca fell down, he helped to pick her up. If Bianca needed someone to talk to or wanted advice, she always came to him. While Hilda was a physical defense, Cheren came to the conclusion that he was an emotional support for Bianca. He was the logical friend, the one who kept calm no matter the situation in the midst of Bianca's tendency to break down immediately while Hilda jumped to rage.

Somewhere along that line, and Cheren wasn't sure when, his feelings evolved from a close friendship to a childish crush. Yes, he still felt that way despite trying to suppress the feelings. He learned a long time ago that her father would put Bianca on an even shorter leash than she was previously on if he so much as suspected something like that. He learned recently that her father also wasn't below bribing police officers to charge him with a crime.

Those were his main reasons for deciding to keep these feelings secret. All around, it wasn't fair to Bianca at all to tell her this. It wouldn't be fair to Bianca for him to just dump these feelings on her after emotionally supporting her for so long. It wouldn't be fair for her to be locked away like a shiny Lillipup just because he had such trivial feelings. So he simply decided he could be satisfied with being her friend.

Bianca's yelp cut into his train of thought. She had fallen flat on her face, nearly plowing down a young lady standing right in front of her. Cheren sighed, crossing the small distance and holding out his hand.

"Owie…" Bianca whined, taking his hand. "Thanks, Cheren… I'm sorry."

"Perhaps you should apologize to the young lady you almost plowed down." Cheren glanced at the girl again. She looked stiff as a board, staring at them with wide eyes. She didn't say a word. There was a Stoutland next to her, perhaps a little smaller than average.

"I'm really sorry!" Bianca bowed to the girl. The girl's nostrils flared slightly, though it was as if she suddenly panicked. Her gaze flicked around, before finally settling on her shoes. "Hey, did I offend you? I'm sorry!"

The girls breathing suddenly picked up, taking a quick step away as Bianca stepped closer. She still refused to speak. The Stoutland, as if sensing this sudden changed, pushed its nose against her arm.

"Hey, are you-"

"Bianca, maybe-"

"Hey!" the sudden shout cut through the air, and a boy with an explosion of blue hair bolted in front of them, shoving Bianca back. "You two thick?! Can't you see she doesn't want to be bothered?!"

Bianca looked surprised as the boy glared furiously at them. The girl shrunk next to him, almost cowering behind him.

"We apologize," Cheren nodded briefly. "She didn't look well, we were just worried. Are you trainers?"

"Trainer school. We can't battle!" the boy snapped. "We're here on a field trip with our class."

"Oh, well that's interesting."

"I thought you looked a little young!" Bianca smiled. "It's always good to learn! Have you gotten to experience the sights?"

"… Somewhat." the boy crossed his arms. He glanced at his friend with a furrowed brow. "What were you even doing, Mai?"

Again, the girl didn't speak, instead glancing away from them and up at the building in front of them. The boy furrowed his brow, also looking.

"The Musical?" he asked. The girl nodded. "Really?" Again, she nodded. "Well, I mean, I'm sure if we asked our supervisor, she'd be fine with it… But we should report back to her. We promised to not get separated from our partners and I could get in loads of trouble for loosing you. You've gotta tell someone before you disappear!"

He seemed to begin to lecture the girl as the two walked away. Bianca musingly watched them as they continued along, pouting slightly.

"Remember our class trip?" Bianca suddenly asked. Cheren glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you talking about?" he furrowed his brow. "We didn't go, remember? Hilda couldn't afford it, your father wouldn't let you go, and I opted out."

"Yeah." Bianca grinned up at him. "That's what's made it special, right?"

"… I would suppose." he murmured, glancing away. At least she seemed in good spirits, or better spirits. He glanced up at the Pokémon Musical. It was lit up so brightly that Cheren was convinced that it consumed more electricity then the entire theme park.

"Bianca," Cheren spoke again. "This looks like something you would like."

"Would I?" Bianca murmured, staring up at the building with curiosity. "The Pokémon Musical… It's a place for rising stars in the movie industry. Some say the greatest of the great started off here and became stars in Pokéstar studios! Although…" Bianca twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Maybe that's not the best thing for me. Like, I'm so clumsy and awkward, I might mess up really badly."

"That girl looked interested in it." Cheren pointed out. "She would've even speak to us, yet she seemed interested in trying."

"True, I guess…" Bianca suddenly waved her hands frantically in the air. "But seriously, they broadcast some performances! If Daddy doesn't know where I am after that Castelia debacle, I don't need to give him a bigger hint by appearing on live TV."

"Oh…" Bianca suddenly halted in her tracks. Cheren shot her an odd look.

"What's wrong?"

"Um…" Bianca trailed off, then shot him a huge, albeit, watery, smile at him. "You know what, I think I might go check out the Pokémon Musical! I'll… I'll see you around!"

Cheren fell silent as she suddenly bolted into the building. Slowly, Cheren lifted his head to see where she was looking, and saw Black. However, he didn't seem to notice him, instead quietly darting in and out of the crowd, slowly drifting towards a back ally.

Suddenly, an icy cold angry gripped his heart. Perhaps fueled by anger for his friend, and perhaps fueled by a sick sense of envy, Cheren stepped forward, keeping his eyes on the brunette boy. Finally, just as Black seemed ready to slip away, Cheren grabbed his bicep.

"Oh, Cheren!" Black grinned happily. "You know, I don't ever get to talk to you much. What're you stopping me for? What's up?"

"Black," Cheren narrowed his gaze. "We need to talk."

o.0.o.0.o

Vale let out a shuddery sigh as she rested against the wall for a brief moment. When had Black gotten on her tail again? Had he followed her to where Bianca was? She didn't even notice…

Either she was loosing her touch, or he was getting better.

She heard Joltik whine in her ear, his little mouth making a small clicking noise. She reached up and stroke his head to ease his concerns. She had no clue what she did to deserve such a sweet little pokémon.

"Are you worried, little one?"

Vale lifted her head slightly as footsteps began to approach her. It was N, and he had a soft smile on his face. Joltik let out a small trill of joy, quickly crawling all across her body until he finally scrambled up her hair and settled on top of her head, almost perfectly able to make eye contact with N. He chuckled under his breath and reached out, scratching the top of Joltik's head with his forefinger.

"He's growing strong, isn't he?"

"I would hope so." Vale responded hesitantly. This was strange. N approaching her and speaking kindly with her… In fact, he purposely made sure that she saw him, correct?

Was the note truly sent by him? Not a farce? Or… was this a trap?

"His egg hatched prematurely." she spoke slowly, hesitantly, eyes shooting around trying to find even a glimpse of the Shadow Triad or a Plasma grunt. "He's so small for his breed, that I have to be careful with how to train him. But I think he's getting stronger and stronger. He used to be unable to even crawl on me like he did just now. He had to crawl on my hand and I had to move him where he wanted to go. Um,"

She trailed off awkwardly, gaze finally settling back onto N. He was staring at her, completely invested and interested in what she was saying. She didn't see nor sense anyone else lurking about. So the note wasn't a trap…? Genuine interest from N?

"He likes to hang out around my shoulders, my neck, and in my hair. Probably the warmest spots for him…"

"You don't keep him in a pokéball?"

"Not especially." Vale shrugged. "Like I said, he's was born so small he relied almost one hundred percent on my static electricity to survive day to day. It's not so bad now, but it became a habit for him. Now he just enjoys it."

"… I can tell." N spoke, slowly dropping his hand.

There was a hint of hesitation to his voice then, as if he was staring at something that he didn't quite believe. Joltik was humming happily atop her head, the only sound in the tense silence. She met his gaze, hoping to ask about the note he had sent her earlier, but N beat her to it.

"… Do you like amusement parks, Vale?"

Of all the things for N to say to her, that was not the thing that she was expecting. Had he sent her that note in order to ask such a little question…?

"I, uh… I couldn't tell you." Vale answered awkwardly. "I've never been to an amusement park. However, people have been commenting on my height, like I belong in a circus or something… I don't like it."

"Oh, well, that's no good!" N exclaimed with a surprising amount of passion. "Amusement parks are far more than a circus performance! There's rides and games and shows and food…"

Vale was taken aback as he continued to rattle things off like an excited little kid. Up until this point, ever since they parted ways in Johto, he had refused to show this side of himself to her. Like it was reserved specifically for people he trusted… And she betrayed that trust in his eyes.

"So I take it," Vale cut in with a small, hesitant smile. "You like stuff like this, N?"

"Very much!" N exclaimed, eyes bright like a child. "There's so many spectacular things about amusement parks. I've always seen them in books and stuff, and I've always wanted to go to one, but Father would never allow it, so,"

His eyes lit up, almost mischievously.

"I snuck away from my guards and decided I would come here myself. And I kind of wanted to..." he trailed off, as if realizing he was about to say something wrong, then averted his gaze for a moment.

Vale mused on that for a second. N was… surprisingly peppy and playful today. Was it the energy of this city? Though she herself was not very open about this place and the constant comments on her appearance, this might prove to be the perfect opportunity to gain back a little more trust from N.

"A game of hide and seek, huh?" Vale asked with a small smile, realizing that N has been silent for to long. Fearing that he was starting to second guess what he was doing at this moment, she continued. "How strange. I'm also hiding away from someone."

"Oh, really?" N asked. "Who?"

"No one in particular." Vale shrugged, figuring that mentioning Silver or Black would only agitate him. "But since we're both on the run, how about we go on the run together? Almost like a game."

"A game?" N echoed, raising an eyebrow. " _You_ want to play a game?"

"Why not?" Vale asked. "I mean, both of us have never been to amusement parks before, right? If we're both hiding, this gives us the perfect chance to check it out."

"Well…"

" _You_ were the one who sent me this note, N." Vale produced the note from her pocket holding it out to him.

"… Yes, well…" N trailed off awkwardly. "That was only because…"

" _Because?"_ Vale pressed.

"… In all my books…" N muttered under his breath, eyes on his shoes. "I've never seen someone go to places like this alone. … If this was going to be my only chance to go, I wanted it to be as authentic and ideal of an experience as possible. And I…" his voice suddenly dropped along with his shoulders, like a sad, wounded little pokémon. "And I didn't have anyone else."

So that was it. It wasn't a trap. It wasn't a hoax. It wasn't set up by Ghetsis or anything like that. By all technical means, betrayal or not, Vale was probably the only person N could think of to do this with. Anyone in Team Plasma would report it back to Ghetsis, and he didn't know anyone else well enough to even bother to contact them.

But that also meant something else.

 _Even if it was me by default, that means he could get over his feelings of disdain towards me if he wants to experience something that is forbidden to him._

 _This is especially so…_

 ** _If it involves other people._**

If Vale could find a way to get N to experience more things outside of his life in Team Plasma, it might be the perfect gateway to regain his trust and to help him in the end.

"Well, then," Vale mustered up a smile. "You're the amusement park expert here. What should we do first?"

N blinked at her. Once. Twice. Then, his face lit up with a smile.

"… I think I want to eat something sweet."

o.0.o.0.o

"Black," Cheren spoke firmly as he tried to breech the subject with him. Black hummed under his breath to indicate that he was listening. He had expressed a need to talk to him, leading him to the side, a bit away from the bustling crowds. "I'm not really sure how to say this-"

"I'm not interested."

Cheren snapped his head up to Black, who was casually grinning at him.

"… You're not?"

"Nope. Not in the slightest."

"Then why," Cheren continued, feeling anger spark slightly in him. "Would you lead-"

"I didn't know I was leading you on." Black shrugged. "Sorry!"

"… Excuse me?"

"Are you insulted?" Black cocked his head. "I'm not interested in guys. I mean, of course I'm irresistible, but I don't like dudes. Sorry."

"That's not the problem here!" Cheren uncharacteristically snapped. "This has nothing to do with me!"

"Then why are you talking to me?"

"Because of Bianca and Hilda!"

"Oh?" Black cocked his head slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"Whether you intended to or not," Cheren seethed slightly, glaring at him. "You lead Bianca on. I'm not sure what your relationship is with Hilda, but Hilda's tough as nails so I suggest you stop trying to do whatever you're doing immediately."

"So is this because you have the hots for Hilda, or Bianca?"

"What-"

"I said," Black, grinned cheekily at him. "Are you jealous of me because of Hilda, or Bianca? I'm almost certain of your answer, Cheren, so please be honest with me."

Cheren was quiet, silently fuming as Black leaned back on the bench. He was taking this all to casually… Like he hardly cared what he was doing in the slightest.

"For the record, I think it's Bianca." Black continued. "Because I've seen how you act around her. Super protective, nipping at anyone who tried to cross her… Almost like a little Lillipup trying to protect it's owner! Isn't she the daughter of a steel tycoon? Would be a _shame_ if you nipped at the hand that fed you so, Cheren!"

"I do not see her in that light!" Cheren responded, offended by such an accusation.

"As your go-to bag of cash, or as your lady love?"

"This has nothing to do with me!"

"Then why are _you_ talking to me?" Black demanded, meeting his gaze. He was smiling, but his eyes were cruel, almost gleefully so. "If Bianca had an issue, she would talk to me, wouldn't she? Why are you stepping in like some sort of knight in shining armor?"

"Because _you_ lead her on. You strung her along like a pokémon on a leash, and you… Bianca thought that you were about to kiss Hilda, and she…"

He cut himself off, clenching his fists tightly. He didn't want to say it. Because saying it made it a reality. A reality that he knew, but didn't really want to admit, not yet.

"Cheren, I didn't lead Bianca on." Black spoke plainly. "Sure, I might've flirted with her here and there, but I put a stop to that because I honestly am interested in Hilda. Hilda is _extremely_ protective of her. I realized pretty quickly that if I kept flirting with Bianca, I was gonna push Hilda further and further away."

"And you didn't think to tell her this?!" Cheren exclaimed. "You didn't think about how your flirting could have effected her?"

"It was a couple of compliments." Black crossed his arms. "Anyone who puts a lot of stock in a couple of compliments is oversensitive."

"… Bianca is innocent." Cheren muttered under his breath. "Do you have no consideration for other peoples feelings?"

"Meh." Black shrugged.

"Meh?" Cheren echoed. "That's all you have to say for yourself?!"

"From my perspective," Black answered nonchalantly. "I didn't do anything wrong in this situation. Bianca took my little comments out of perspective, and now she's upset."

"You really hurt her, Black." Cheren insisted. "You're 'little comments' forced her to either choose Hilda or choose you. She had to choose between one of her oldest friends, against a person she… She-"

"She fell in love with." Black looked him in the eye with a pitiful look on his face. "Now hold on, let me guess what you'd say next; 'Everything would be a lot less heart wrenching for everyone here if she fell in love with me!' Right?"

Cheren clenched his fists, averting his gaze.

"Right." Black chuckled. "I thought so."

"And what does that mean to you?" Cheren demanded. "How I feel is irrelevant to the situation. _You_ are the one who is causing all of this."

"Listen, man, if my words went and got Bianca all riled up, that's no one's fault but her own, just as much as it is _your_ fault for how you feel now." Black looked him in the eye. "I'm not into the ditzy type. People like her are to easy to crack, there's no _challenge."_

"Bianca is not-"

"Not easy? Ha!" Black's head tilted back as he openly laughed at him. "Cheren, I told her that she was pretty and she was suddenly putty in my hands! How much easier could you get? You said it yourself!"

"I said she was innocent." Cheren corrected, seething.

"Same thing, different light." Black shrugged. "The fact that you lack the balls to tell her how you feel has nothing to do with me. You're just mad because it's _me_ she chose over _you."_

Cheren clenched his fists tightly, struggling to keep his composure. This was true. It was so true that Cheren himself didn't want to admit it. He wanted to snap at Black, ask him what was so special about him that he was preferred to Bianca. But he knew it was his own flaws that kept him from moving forward and saying anything.

"Listen, I'm not into ditzy girls," Black shrugged. "But plenty of people are. Clearly, Bianca's not going to wait around for you to finally grow a pair. So if you want your chance with her," he stood up and nodded in the direction of the pokémon musical. "Then take it and go. If you're not going to, that's no one's fault but your own."

Cheren was about to retort, but-

"Daddy, please! Please, just listen to me-!"

Whipping around at the frantic tilt in her voice, almost reaching the point of a wail. Cheren froze in his spot, seeing the familiar, golden, slicked back hair of Josiah Steele, dragging his daughter out of the musical by the wrist, regardless of her protests.

"Bianca, enough of this nonsense!" he yelled over the crowd, clearly not caring that he was causing a very public scene.

"I-I don't…! It's not…!"

Cheren clenched his fists tightly, recalling the near beating he received from Mr. Steele in Castelia. He would admit it now, he was afraid of Bianca's father. Yes, he was used to his insane accusations and his intense need to make him the victimizer of Bianca, but still… He was wealthy, powerful, and influential.

"Maybe I shouldn't be the one to say this, but…" Black's voice cut through his thoughts and insecurities. "Girls like heroes. Man up or move out of the way, because I think I'll score some brownie points with Hilda if I-"

"Shut up." Cheren spat over his shoulder, taking a step forward, then another.

"You sure? You seem really shaken up for a a guy who-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Cheren found himself yelling, bolting forward. Just as the last 'shut up' left his lips, he was standing at the forefront of the now gathering crowd, practically screaming in Josiah Steele's face.

Cheren could feel his heart hammering in his chest, practically going through every possible thing that could go wrong. Mr. Steele set his gaze on him, and his expression went from annoyance to pure rage in a heart beat.

But even still… He didn't want to gain anything from this at all. His motives weren't as Black seemed to think they were, because first and before anything else, Bianca was his friend. And right now...

"Mr. Steele," Cheren tried to keep his voice as composed and respectable as possible. Slowly walking forward, he placed a hand on Bianca's shoulder. "Let her go."

 _Right now, my friend is in trouble._

o.0.o.0.o

 **I really wanted to focus on Cheren this chapter. IDK why but I decided to take the spotlight off our mains for a minute, and maybe spend the next chapter letting the sides shine while Black sorta lurks around and Hilda just charges through Nimbassa.**

 **Back to Let's Go, everyone!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	27. Bianca's Home

**Aaaaah, hopefully I update this before finals week. I will swear here and now, the last two weeks before finals week are way worse than finals week itself.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 22nd, X017_

Hilda was marching through Nimbassa, barking Bianca's description at random strangers, trying to figure out where she had gone. It shouldn't be this hard to track down someone who dressed in bright green and orange, should it?!

"Argh! Move! Dammit, why are you all crowding like Tynamo in a can?!" Hilda hollered over the people practically trying to crush her, all gathering in front of the pokémon musical building.

She didn't give to flips about some star-studded asswipe who just happened to look pretty on stage! Her friend was being tracked by a literal predator and-

"Hey, quit shoving!" some blue-haired brat snapped at her.

"F*ck off!" she hollered back, not particularly caring that he was just a few years younger than her. Straining her neck, her curiosity now piqued at what was so damned _interesting,_ she saw a familiar head of light blond hair, slightly graying due to age.

Her stomach sunk for a split second, seeing Josiah Steele seemingly mid-way into dragging his daughter by the wrist. Cheren was already there, cooly confronting him.

"F*ck." she hissed under her breath. "Oh, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck…!"

Cheren was going to get arrested. Bianca was going to be locked away in her room. Right here and now, Josiah Steel was going to successfully ruin both her friends lives in a single conversation.

And she wasn't about to stand by and just let it happen!

"Move it, pricks! Come on!"

"Hey, now, no need to shove."

Suddenly, Hilda felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, lifting her clear off her feet and tugging her away from the crowd.

"Hey, what the hell…?!" she exclaimed, kicking out her legs and pounding into Black's arms, immediately recognizing his voice. "Asswipe! Put me down! He's gonna…! I've gotta…!"

"Calm down for a second." Black deposited her on a nearby bench, a bit away from the crowd. "Sit here and don't interfere."

"But Black-!"

" _Hilda_." Black spoke, a surprising amount of firmness in his eyes. "Listen to me. You're not going to interfere with this. This is something that Bianca and Cheren need to confront on their own."

"… But he's going to ruin their lives." Hilda abruptly stood, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, now shouting in his face. "Don't you get that?! He's had it out for Cheren since we were four! He's gonna lock Bianca up like she's some sort of shiny Victini and I can't have that!"

"I understand that." Black placed his hands on her shoulders. "But Bianca is never going to move on and be independent unless they start with this, and Mr. Steele will never back off Cheren until Cheren confronts him."

"Bullshit! He's never left Cheren alone!"

"But he leaves you alone, Hilda?"

"Well, yeah! There's nothing for him to take from us through court or anything! It wouldn't be worth it!"

"I don't quite think that's the case." Black stood a little straighter, dropping his arms to watch the scene from afar. Hilda slowly released his shirt as he turned. "The reason he doesn't bother you, from what I've observed from him thus far, is because you don't _care_ that he's rich and powerful. You don't fear his money or his power, which gives you the confidence to stand up to him. What's the one thing he has against you?"

"Bianca, of course."

"And if he used Bianca against you?"

"I'd do whatever it takes to defy him, come hell or high water."

"Exactly," Black shot her an understanding grin. "Cheren doesn't have that. He fears what Josiah Steel can and will do. That's why _he_ needs to confront him. Because if he doesn't, if Bianca doesn't, they're just going to be manipulated through him."

Hilda furrowed her brow, for once having nothing to say at all. There was something there, something like Black knew exactly what he was talking about. It was a moment, right there. A moment of completely raw emotion, mixed with that of satisfaction, like his plans had all gone accordingly or something.

"Black," she asked slowly. "Before I deck you, you didn't tip Josiah off, did you?"

"Do I seem like the type to tip off some bigwig who's related to a girl who's not even relevant to my life?" Black responded.

"… You don't do anything unless it benefits you."

"Bingo."

"So why?" Hilda demanded. She was trying to find the lie. Trying to see what tale he was telling. But… there wasn't a lie. His eyes were honest. Against all odds, he was telling her the truth. "If Cheren and Bianca are completely irrelevant to you, why the hell are you so interested in this?"

"Because it was high time Cheren grew a pair and stopped cowering behind you."

And like so many times before, Black put his mask back in place, grinning like he told a good joke.

o.0.o.0.o

Bianca was trembling as she tried to stutter out reasons for her father to let her continue traveling.

At this point, Bianca could definitely say she experienced enough to warrant fear. She had battled Team Plasma and questionable characters on multiple occasions, she was caught in an earthquake at the daycare center, was witness to a robbery in Nacrene, and worst yet, kidnapped and held for ransom. But nothing, at this point, scared her more than her father, _especially_ when she had to bare the brunt of his anger all by herself.

That's what was so different between those times and now. She was always _with_ someone. Hilda or Cheren or Black… She was even with Cheren when she was initially kidnapped by Team Plasma! She at least knew someone would know she was gone, would know to look for her.

She was alone when her Dad had found her in the Musical Hall. She was flitting about looking at the accessories and the pictures of trainers and pokémon alike. Just as she was considering signing up for a short play, her father had said her name and dragged her out of the theatre.

"Daddy, please! Please, just listen to me-!" she finally managed, practically crying.

"Bianca, enough of this nonsense!" he yelled over the crowd.

"I-I don't…! It's not…!"

"Shut up!"

The shout came as quickly as the hand on her shoulder. Bianca could feel her father grip her wrist tighter as she glanced over to see who had finally decided to intervene on this.

"Mr. Steel, let her go."

Bianca could hear the slight shake in Cheren's voice, but he kept himself composed and respectable. She didn't blame him for his fear, her father has been threatening to destroy him and his family's life since they were little kids.

"Where do you get off ordering me around?" her father snarled at him. Bianca felt a shiver shoot up and down her spine. If this were a picture in a fairy tale book, she was certain her father would have been a ruthless king, maybe even a dragon, who was using his power to look down upon the underdog protagonist.

She felt a tug on her wrist, first firm, then she was simply yanked out of Cheren's grasp.

"Bianca, we are going home, by any means necessary! You would not believe my shock when I heard from Lisa and that… that man who claimed to be that brats father that you made it all the way to Castelia. And then to get a ransom call because you've been captured?!"

"Daddy-!"

"Mr. Steele!"

Bianca felt an arm wrap around her shoulders while another arm swatted at her fathers arm, smacking it away. She knew it was Cheren, but she just couldn't believe it. Hilda was the type to rashly attack and get physical, not Cheren! Of course she was thankful for the help, but it just surprised her so much.

Her father recoiled in obvious disgust while Cheren kept his hands firm on her shoulders.

"Let go of my daughter."

If he had the ability, Bianca was certain that she would have set Cheren on fire. Though unintentionally, she was certain the only thing keeping her father from lunging at him was the fact that she was between them. She had no clue how Cheren was standing his ground, she was shaking in her shoes. Bianca knew very well that her father was dangerous when he set his sight on a target. What would he do to Cheren's family if he kept pushing? To _Cheren?_

"Cheren…" she muttered. "Maybe you should just…"

"No." Cheren shook his head. "You made it this far, didn't you? Don't you want to keep going?"

Of course she wanted to keep going. She loved traveling, meeting new people and all the fun things she never would have gotten to do if she stayed in Nuvema. Plus… plus there was just so much more that she wanted to know. About the world, about pokémon and about herself…

But as long as she tried to keep going, she'd just be trying to outrun her dad, burdening her friends. If what he said about Ms. White and Gray, Bianca was certain he was referring to the Scolipede incident involving Hilda. As long as their names made headlines, he'd track them down. Track her down…

"I want to see the world." she whispered under her breath. "Find my place, figure out what I want to do… I want to become stronger…"

"Stronger?" her father spat, causing her to flinch. "You have no need for strength when you are the heiress to my fortunes! You belong in the business, at home, just as you were supposed to this entire time! We could go anywhere, but you can't just run about on your own! You don't know this world, Bianca!"

"But… But I can learn, can't I?" Bianca meekly met her fathers gaze. "Please, Daddy, I need to-"

"Bianca, you're being selfish." her father seemed to read her thoughts, and she flinched back. "You don't _need_ to cause all these problems, you just want to. You ran away from home. Your mother has been worried sick. I've spent a lot of money and time and resources trying to get you back. I got a _ransom call,_ Bianca, demanding I supply them with astronomical amounts of steel. Didn't your friends get hurt in this whole ordeal? Haven't you caused enough stress for everyone? Isn't this enough for you?"

"I… I…" Bianca felt her lip quiver as she looked at the ground.

He had a point, she knew he had a point. She wasn't as strong as the others, she was still learning… Cheren was attacked in that ally and Hilda was always protecting her and even Black got captured in the process of it all… She was trying to train with Vale, but she wondered, was she teachable? Was she improving? Was she ever going to not be a burden to everyone else…?

"I think _you're_ the one being selfish here."

Cheren's tone was firm and confident, a tone that he always had, but never quite had with her father. After all, her father was a very difficult man to be firm and confident in front of.

"You never once expressed worry or concern for Bianca. You call her selfish, yet you point out how she's worrying her mother, how much you've spent and lost trying to get her back, and then tried to turn her against us by guilting her into thinking she was a burden on us. All of this, never once, ever, asking her how she feels? My hypothesis,"

Cheren's left hand left her shoulder, no doubt to adjust his glasses, a habit he's had since childhood. Something he did when he was nervous or anxious, but never would admit to it. He exhaled a sigh, then stepped around her, now becoming a shield between her and her father.

"Is that you don't care about Bianca, not really. You just care about controlling her… Locking her away like a shiny pokémon in a cage. So therein lies the question… What's the point of all that?"

"The point?" her father rolled his eyes. "The point is that she's _my daughter!_ She has much more important things to worry about than gallivanting around, pretending to be a trainer!"

"I'm not pretending, Daddy!" Bianca exclaimed. "I have a license and everything and I'm winning gym battles and stuff…"

"Be quiet, Bianca!" his voice boomed, marching forward. "We are going home!"

"But I-"

"Bianca, you are the only child of the Steele corporation, you should be at home, preparing yourself for your inheritance!"

"But I'm just me!" Bianca exclaimed, shaking her head. "You're you, and I'm me! I can't handle such a high powered position, you know that!"

"Well maybe you would if you didn't spend so much time with these… these low-class beggars dreaming of being a trainer, you could handle it, Bianca!"

"Bianca is sixteen, Mr. Steele." Cheren cut in again. Bianca could see his form tense as her father got closer. "She is of legal age to travel as she pleases with her license. Do you understand that?"

"It's all pointless in the end!" he snapped back, lifting his hand up, as if preparing to hit him. "Now move!"

"That's quite enough, don't you think?"

Bianca wasn't sure how to feel when Lyra pushed her way to the front of the crowd, smiling gently, seemingly open to creating peace. Silver stood a little bit off to the side, not stepping into the line of fire, but seemingly ready to in case of an emergency.

"Excuse me?! And just who do you think you are? This is a family matter!"

"Um, hi! I'm Lyra, Lyra Kotone!" she greeted cheerfully. "I'm a dexholder, yeah? Once the dexholder ceremony is performed and Bianca is recognized, I'm gonna be your daughters senior! And I figured I'd just give my two cents since this is kind of my junior we're talking about, you know?"

Brushing off her shorts, she smiled.

"The world is filled with all sorts of people with all sorts of dreams… Some people might share similar dreams to you… Whereas others hold their own. Everyone has their own walk of life. As you go through the world and meet new people and come to understand them… Naturally, you learn to value those differences, even those differences between father and daughter. I think that you need to appreciate the differences between you and Bianca… Because what makes her a treasure to this world isn't the fact that she's your daughter, it's because she's Bianca."

"Lyra…" Bianca trailed off quietly. Lyra smiled at her.

"I'm not going to try to understand your relationship with you daughter. But Bianca needs to decide her own path in life. Her life is not something you get to use to your advantage, and you need to accept that. And besides," Lyra grinned at Cheren. "Based on what I heard, why would Bianca need your money or her inheritence if she's got her pokémon and her friends by her side? As long as they stand by her side, there's nothing for her to fear."

"She's right." Cheren stood firm, bravely meeting her father's gaze. "Whatever decision Bianca makes, I will stand by it. Bianca doesn't want to go home with you… She wants to continue her journey to find herself."

"Th-That's right!" Bianca chimed in, invigorated by Cheren and Lyra's support. "I'm going to stay right here! I want to continue and I want to see many new things… Many things I never would have gotten to experience in Nuvema or with the company. Please try to understand, Daddy…"

Her father's glance snapped between Cheren, herself, and Lyra. Bianca felt herself flinch as his hand flitted to his belt for a pokéball.

"Unless you're a moron, I'd suggest not trying that." Silver suddenly piped up, coming closer to the group. He lowered his voice slightly as he spoke. "Lyra's been able to stand toe to toe with Leaf Green. Arguably, Lyra could very well be one of the strongest trainers in the world."

There was an obvious tenseness in the air. To Bianca, it almost felt as if the atmosphere was crackling itself as her father's gaze flicked from her to Cheren and back to Silver and Lyra. Silver seemed tense and ready to step in, Lyra kept her happy smile upon her face, and Cheren remained strong, keeping his gaze firm.

"Bianca, we're going home."

Then, her father unleashed a Scolipede and a Crustle. Bianca immediately scrambled back. She never liked bug-types, ever since she was a little girl. Her father either didn't care that they terrified her or was trying to use it against her at this point…

Before any of them could respond, though, a small form engulfed in flames slammed into Scolipede while another form slashed at Crustle.

"Sonnovabitch! I'll kick you across Unova if you do anything!"

Bianca wasn't surprised that Hilda was the one who burst forward and like a Swoobat out of hell, as Hilda would have aptly put it. She slid to a stop in front of them, her Dewott almost mimicking her pose while a Simisear laughed and giggled as it danced around a fallen Scolipede

"Aaaaaaand that's where we step in." Black came sauntering up more casually. He flashed a grin at them. Bianca's eyes hit her feet, not willing to meet his gaze. "Listen, sir, I understand you're protective of your kid, but she's a legal trainer now. Don't you think it's rather _unprofessional_ to release such strong pokémon without warning in a crowded public area… Especially since no one challenged you?"

He shrugged with his hands in his pockets, smiling calmly.

"Don't get me wrong, sir, you're frustrated. But you're already walking on thin ice involving the law, right? At best, you might get a hit article written about you, at worst, you could get arrested for attacking and or threatening civilians with pokémon. Of course, there are sub charges to all of that, but what would I know?" As if he was fully aware of his place in the world, Black continued on with another shrug. "I'm just some random trainer… Right?"

"Yeah! And if you try anything, I'll put you right back in your place, asshole!" Hilda chimed in. Dewott was hopping from place to place, as if itching for a fight.

Bianca watched as her father's gaze flicked around again, this time to his two pokémon laying a defeated mess on the pavement. Bianca heard a pokéball being enlarged, and her gaze drifted to Lyra and Silver. Silver had a pokéball clenched in his fist, the only thing keeping him from entering the fight himself was Lyra's hand on his arm.

Then, with a snarling scowl, her father returned his pokémon.

"Have it your way, Bianca. Just know you're not welcome back into _my_ home nor will you have access to _my_ money or any of the things _I_ bought for you until you give up this fantasy. We all have to make sacrifices in life, and I was lucky enough that your grandfather made me realize the business should be my priority. But please," his biting words ended with a mocking laugh. "Continue to flounder, you stupid girl."

"Daddy…" Bianca could hear how watery her voice was after he said that, but he just turned his back on her.

"Don't call me that. You're no daughter of mine."

That blow was enough to break the little bit of resolve she had. She crumbled to her knees and began to sob. She had always thought that the bond between a parent and a child was stronger than that, but he just… Just cast her aside, like that.

"What the f*ck are you all looking at?! Move the f*ck on!"

Upon Hilda's rage filled shout, Bianca slowly realized that the crowd was still witnessing her breakdown. She tried in vain to muffle her sobs with her hands as she continued to cry.

"I'm-"

"Don't."

Her desperate cry for forgiveness from her father was cut off as gentle arms wrapped around her shoulder.

"You have no reason to apologize." Cheren continued, kneeling beside her. "It's natural for parents and their children to disagree. But it's not natural for a parent to reject their child because they won't do what they say because they said it. Especially if that child never went against them before, ever, Bianca. You have a right to, and are entitled to, this journey. Just because your father doesn't think you are doesn't warrant an apology."

"Cheren…" she muttered in a watery tone. "He said… He said I couldn't go home…"

"To hell with that!" Hilda exclaimed, now also kneeling after shouting at the observing crowd. "You can live with me!"

"But you…"

"I'll make enough money to put you up! I'm going to be rich when I'm the Champion, don't worry about it!"

"Hilda…"

"If I can offer an opinion…" Lyra smiled gently as she approached them. "To me, at least, home isn't about a roof over your head or how much you have. Home is where you're happiest, Bianca… Where you know you are loved, and in return can give love. So… Were you happier in your home with your father, or are you happier here, with your friends and your pokémon?"

"Oh…" Bianca felt her heart clench with her words, more tears streaming down her cheeks. She scrubbed at her face again, glancing between Cheren and Hilda. "Hildaaaa! Chereeeeen!"

The ends of their names echoing with her wail, she wrapped an arm around each of them and sobbed. They didn't say anything to her, not now. Instead, with one arm around each of their shoulders, they stood and helped her move to somewhere more private…

Not unlike when they first took their steps on this journey.

o.0.o.0.o

 **Well, it's past finals week but I got it done! I was going to make it longer, but I realized that this was the best place to cut it off, you know? Bianca's had enough for the timebeing, so for the next chapter, I'm thinking of just letting the characters have some fun.**

 **Lyra hijacked Elesa's role, but that's only because I'm drawing a comparison between Lyra and her mother and Bianca and her father. I kind of expect them to bond over this, but more like Lyra is the comforting presence for Bianca…**

 **Anyways! The Nimbassa-fun chapter! It'll definitely be on a lighter note, I think these characters deserve to have a little fun, no?**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	28. Sparks Fly

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year people! I actually started writing this Christmas Day, but I hope to get it out before new years eve. Soooo, wish me luck!**

 **Also, blast to the past time! Remember when I said I wrote this fic when I was younger? Weeeeeelll… I decided to pull out the song I listened to in order to write Nimbassa. Gosh I'm feeling so nostalgic. Six years later and the song still holds so much positive vibes in writing this chapter. The song is "American Beauty" by the way, by The Lost Trailers.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Agent Blitz/Sara, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 23rd, X017_

To much happened all at once for Vale. The minute she and N managed to find a main street, she realized a crowd was beginning to form, surrounding a group of familiar faces.

She recognized Bianca's father immediately. Though he didn't treat her nearly as badly as Cheren or Hilda, he was the type to call out anyone he recognized, including her and N. The last thing that she needed was their temporary unity being broadcasted to everyone who claimed to trust her. N was witnessing the unfolding fight as well, and just as she was about to tell him to stay put so she could properly intervene, Lyra did instead.

Immediately spotting Silver not far behind, she shoved N back into the shadows and watched the scene unfold from there. N was compliant, as he seemed just as unwilling to interact with the dexholders as her.

As the scene came to a close and Hilda and Cheren helped Bianca away, she had turned back to N, only to see him staring at the scene with wide eyes… And a single tear down his cheek.

"N?" she asked, reaching out and touching his shoulder.

"I… I don't understand." he whispered under his breath. "Humans and family… are supposed to help each other. Love each other. So why did Bianca's father…? He just… Just disowned her. Like that. Aren't human parents like pokémon parents? Protective and loving?"

"… I don't know, N." she answered honestly. How could she? She didn't recall anything before Ghetsis as Mask, and he was hardly a 'parent'. He was a puppet master and she was his doll. That was it.

"I just… I just don't understand… Why are humans so evil? Even a parent to their child...?"

Vale was quiet as N seemed to… seemed to almost grieve Bianca's predicament.

"N," she asked carefully, kneeling beside him. "Do you… feel bad for Bianca?"

"I shouldn't." N shook his head. "I shouldn't because she's a trainer, she's promoting pokémon enslavement-"

"N. Do you feel bad for her?"

"I… A lot of times I've heard pokémon who were abandoned and broken cry like that… And I'm feeling a very familiar sadness now…" N swiped at his eyes as he bowed his head into his knees. "I shouldn't. I shouldn't feel bad for a human. They aren't being trapped or hurt like pokémon are…"

"Bianca was." Vale responded. "You listened, right? The entire fight was about whether Bianca should stay where she is now, where she is happiest, or that she should be forced to go home with her father to be used as his own little puppet."

"… Maybe that's why I'm feeling these things…" N whispered under his breath. "Maybe I'm comparing her to a pokémon…"

"But," Vale cut in, hoping to not feed into his idea of "all humans are terrible" by using Bianca as an example. "Look at Hilda and Cheren… even Lyra and Silver, to an extent. They helped Bianca when she was down, didn't they?"

"I… I guess so…"

"So would that mean that they are evil as well, since you consider humans to be bad and pokémon to be good?"

N was silent for a while after she asked that, not really coming up with an answer. He had stopped crying at this point, but his mind seemed to be going a mile a minute.

"… Perhaps I may have committed the fallacy of composition." N spoke after a long time. "But then again, when working with a majority, there is certain to be a minority. That minority may be there, but it will not overwhelm the probability of running into the majority."

He fell silent for a moment, so Vale had stood to leave, assuming he had wanted time to think. However, the minute she rose to her full height, N snapped his head up.

"Where are you going?"

"I figured you wouldn't want me around while you were trying to sort your thoughts out."

It was a perfectly reasonable explanation to her. While she didn't want to necessarily leave N, she also did not want to push him to much because that might cause him to, in turn, literally shove her away. She needed to remain close, and get closer, but not push her boundaries with him.

"Aren't we going to go to the amusement park?"

At the moment, Vale hadn't expected that to come out of his mouth, especially since it seemed N was going through the whiplash of watching a so-called "evil human trainer who enslaves pokémon" literally be cast aside by her own flesh and blood.

But he had looked at her like a sad little kid who had all his hopes and dreams crushed in a single moment… So she came up with a new plan.

She told N that maybe they should wait until tomorrow to go to the amusement park. At first, he seemed deflated, but Vale lifted his spirits by suggesting he make a list of things he wanted to do.

Furthermore, she had reasoned, Bianca and Lyra would like to see the sights of Nimbassa during the day, whereas Cheren always came in at a reasonable hour and Hilda liked to sleep. A lot. In that sense, Silver, who was her biggest problem at this moment, would stick close to Lyra and also not come out at night. She suggested that they go and visit the park at night, where it would be less crowded, the lines would be shorter, and the lights would look prettier.

N, seemingly fascinated, exclaimed that festivals and amusement park scenes often took place at night… And that Team Plasma _shouldn't_ be protesting at night, so no one would be out to report him to his father.

And so, with N scratching Joltiks head, their plan reworked for their own time. Vale made a promise to meet him, feeling she had taken one step closer to revealing the truth to him.

o.0.o.0.o

"ALL RIGHT! Up and at 'em!"

Black shot up in his bed so fast that the room spun. Hilda stood in his doorway, having slammed it open… Or maybe she kicked it open. Honestly, Black wasn't certain. His gaze drifted around the room, and he saw Cheren was already up, his bed neatly made. Black had expected though, he had found out through Bianca that Cheren always usually got up at a ridiculously early hour and was usually ready and out the door for breakfast by seven thirty.

Judging by the alarm clock, Cheren was probably already taking advantage of the just set out breakfast down in the pokémon centers cafeteria.

"Hilda, you hate waking up in the morning." he commented calmly, already knowing she wasn't a threat. "What are you doing up… Waking me up?"

His voice held a suggestive edge to it, in which Hilda rolled her eyes, marching into the room.

"Because _I'm_ on Black duty."

"Black duty?" he echoed, a smile curling onto his lips. Hilda was quick to shut down his innuendo as she reached for his cap on his nightstand.

"Don't think so f*cking highly of yourself." she snapped, shoving the hat over his hair and intentionally yanking it over his eyes. "Bianca had a really bad day yesterday, possibly the worst day of her life… As you witnessed. _So,_ Lyra is gonna help me and Cheren give her the happiest day of her life. Originally, Silver was going to be on Black duty, but Bianca insisted that I was."

"Bianca insisted?" Black asked as Hilda rounded his bedpost and grabbed his hoodie.

"Yeah. I don't know what she was getting at, but she said something like 'Oh, you and Black get along really well, and this is the only chance Silver may have to come here so I wouldn't want him to miss out' or some shit like that." she scowled, tossing his hoodie in his face. "I don't know where the hell she got that idea from, since I hate you."

"And here I thought we were growing closer…" he whined.

"Keep dreaming." Hilda scowled at him. "Anyways, I'm just here to make sure you don't insert yourself into the situation and mess everything up. This'll be the first time in forever that Cheren and Bianca actually got some alone time together and I don't need you messing it up."

"Oh, I see." Black rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner, setting his hoodie and hat to the side. "You're afraid I'm going to ruin any chance Cheren has with Bianca."

Hilda didn't answer him, instead keeping his back to him as he proceeded to dig through his bag for a change of clothes.

"Well, you should be aware that Cheren and I came to an agreement of sorts. I don't go after girls who have boyfriends, you know. Honor code and all that."

"Cheren asked Bianca out?!" Hilda exclaimed, snapping her gaze back to him. Black shot her a happy-go-luck grin as her mouth dropped. "What the f*ck, man?!"

"What do you mean, what the f*ck?" Black echoed, pulling his T-shirt over his head. "I should be asking that, _you_ kicked my door in. Ooooor…" he grinned as his head popped through the top of the shirt. "Do you like what you see?"

"Yeah, loving the view of your boxer shorts, asshole." she rolled her eyes. "Put some pants on first!"

Black furrowed his brow as Hilda glared at the wall. Then, her shoulders suddenly shook. Then she let out a laugh.

"You thought I was pissed because you were shirtless!" she accused as soon as he buckled his pants. "No way! You think I'm like that?!"

"Most girls are, are they not?" Black raised his eyebrows as Hilda turned. Hilda snorted through her nose as she continued to laugh.

"Yeah right!" Hilda continued. "Do you _know_ the shit us Nuvema kids got into when it was summertime? There's a huge river near the town on route one, not to mention we overlook a small span of beach! I was known for shoving random victims into the water!"

"Well, aren't you naughty? Shoving poor innocent boys into the water just to get their shirts off."

"Oh, you wish I was that easy." Hilda rolled her eyes. "Anyways, were you serious? Cheren asked her out?"

"Not exactly." Black answered simply as he pulled on his hoodie. "I just told him to make a move before someone else decides to swoop in."

"… Shit or get off the pot, eh?" Hilda asked. "… _That's_ what spurred Cheren forward like that?"

"In terms of him confronting his father? I guess." Black shrugged. "I might have instigated him a little bit, but hey, results are results, right?"

"Great Arceus… If I knew it was that damned easy to push him forward I would've done that years ago!"

"I don't think you telling him anything would have changed his position." Black shook his head with a laugh. "He'd probably brush it off as a joke, or just deny his feelings since you've been trying to push them together for so long. He needed a reality check from a stranger… a rival, so to say."

"… So you do have a thing for Bianca?" her tone had an edge to it, a warning… As if daring him to lie. But not today, he decided. He didn't have a reason to lie about this.

"I never did." Black shrugged. Hilda glared at him. "Was that the wrong answer?"

"You flirted with her!" Hilda accused. Black let out a small groan of irritation.

What was it with people getting hung up on a couple compliments? He called Bianca pretty once? Twice? He couldn't remember but it must not have been important if he didn't bother to remember it. He didn't even think that he made an effort towards flirting with Bianca, he just went with the flow to see where it took him, if Bianca would be a useful source of information.

At the end of his assessment, he decided that all Bianca was useful for was to get information about Hilda… Maybe some connections to her fathers company, which promptly went out the window yesterday, even if he _did_ need that connection. But he was certain that he didn't make any _obvious_ moves towards Bianca… Mostly because on top of being useless to him in the long run, he wasn't about to seriously try to pursue Bianca...

Bianca was _annoying_ to him. A safe option. Typical. He knew exactly how she was going to react to any given situation. There wasn't any excitement in a relationship with her, and on top of that, she was needy and extremely dependent emotionally. She wanted and expected to be coddled, took everything out of context, and clearly got very emotional if he didn't respond the way she expected to. Not that it was a bad thing on her part, she simply cried, moped, and apparently talked about it with her friends. He's seen worse. _Much_ worse. Like putting drugs in his coffee with hopes he'd fail a drug test worse.

All those emotions... It was just _bad for him._ Even if he was interested in Bianca he wouldn't be able to keep up with that kind of dependency.

"That's not fair." Black shook his head, standing once he pulled on his shoes. "Hilda, you can't place all the blame of how Bianca feels on me."

"Sure I can, you lead her on!"

"I didn't lead her on!" Black groaned, running a hand down his face. "Two or three compliments? I didn't string her along or make her believe I was into her, at least not from my perspective. It's like if a couple got engaged, but the dudes best girl friend had feelings for him and never bothered to mention it, then getting mad at the groom to be! It's backwards."

"So you're saying it's Bianca's fault?!"

"Partially." Black snapped back. "We both made mistakes, I'll admit that. But how could you expect me to set Bianca straight if I didn't know she had something for me to begin with?"

"How could you not know?! It was obvious!"

"Hilda," Black exhaled through his nose. "I cannot give someone a proper rejection or acceptance if they aren't straightforward and they tell me how they feel."

"So then why did you flirt with her to begin with?!"

"Because that's all I do when I enter relationships!" he ended up shouting, standing at his full height. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. He could see the cogs turning in Hilda's head as she processed and analyzed every word of his sentence.

Slowly, he sunk down onto the bed, trying to think of a lie to twist his words around so he didn't have to reveal anything more personal than that. He broke the first rule in his book, don't get overly emotional. Hilda remained quiet.

"I'm an idiot." he finally settled on saying. "I shouldn't have said that."

"… So you enter all your relationships flirting, Black?" her tone held an air of accusation, but hinged on curious. He didn't blame her, it was a strange thing to yell. He was silent. "Is it some personal shit you don't want me to know about?"

"Something like that."

She stared at him as he lifted his gaze. Their eyes only remained locked for a moment before Hilda broke it and turned on her heel.

"Sorry I barged in or whatever. Probably pissed you off. I'll go challenge the gym or something."

"What I mean," Black found the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Is that I enter most relationships expecting to be used… So in turn I make sure to use other people."

Hilda paused at the door.

"That's a shitty life principle to have." she spoke bluntly, turning to look over her shoulder. Again, their eyes met, but after this brief pause, she smiled. It was a small, crooked smile, but a smile nonetheless. "But thanks for being honest."

"Hilda." he called her name just as she stepped out the door. She glanced back at him.

"What?"

"… I'm heading to the amusement park." he said with a plastered on grin, slipping his hands into his pockets as he came up next to her. "So if you don't want me to mess with Cheren or Bianca, you better keep up!"

"Ha!" Hilda laughed, turning around and punching him playfully in the arm. "Looks like your true colors are showing, relationship wrecker!"

"You know it!" Black couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, well, meet me at breakfast or whatever. Maybe we can work on you _not_ being a certified asshole twenty-four seven."

"You're meaning to say I haven't been pleasing you?" Black continued, holding a hand over his heart. "Oh, my precious feelings."

Hilda simply shook her head with a roll of her eyes, then turned on her heel, waving her hand above her head as an indication of her goodbye.

"See you soon." Black replied, watching as Hilda rounded the corner. He waited a few seconds, then rubbed his arm where he hit her. He always knew that Hilda had the tongue of a Heatmor and the temperament of Thunderus, but he didn't expect her to be able to hit like a Sawk.

But then again, he thought back fondly on their journey thus far and realized he might've been foolish for having such low expectations of Hilda. After all, she's proven she could take hits like a Sawk, was it really to be so unexpected for her to hit like one in return?

o.0.o.0.o

"All right, so you already know that I want to challenge the gym," Hilda said simply, pointing to the gym in question on the map of the amusement park. "Anything you wanna do, asswipe?"

"Perhaps suggest you not swear in an area brimming with children." Black suggested offhandedly. "Hmmm… I don't really know. Do you care?"

"Well, I am on you duty." Hilda shrugged. "As long as it doesn't involve food. Heard they jack the prices here."

"I'll pay for food if you're that worried about it." Black spoke. Hilda grinned at him in response.

"Well, if you're paying, is there any amusement park food you like?"

"Not sure." Black shrugged. "Last time I went to an amusement park was when I was really little. I don't remember what I ate that was so good, though."

"Then we'll just have to eat everything!" Hilda exclaimed. "But seriously, you've been here before?"

"A very long time ago." Black furrowed his brow as he tried to pick at memories. "I was a really little kid. I don't remember much, but I do remember the Politoed Hopper though.

"Politoed Hopper?"

Black nodded, tracing his finger along the map until he finally found his destination.

"It's right across from the gym, in the kiddie park. I'll show you, come on." Black gestured, leading the way. "I loved it and would insist on riding it over and over and over again. I think the riders simply just let me stay on for a few rounds before the park manager made me get off."

"What a killjoy." Hilda responded, lapping up this information. Black almost never talked about his personal life, this was a good way for her to really assess him.

"Yeah, but I understand though." Black shrugged. "It wasn't fair to let little four year old me ride it over and over when other kids were waiting."

With that, he gestured to the ride in question, and Hilda had to admit, it wasn't what she had expected. She thought it would be some sort of obstacle course or something, but instead it was a small ride with about five seats. Children would sit in the seats and the ride would slowly and gently bring them up, then drop them back down in a gentle, bouncing manner. It was short and underwhelming, honestly.

" _That's_ the ride that captivated little kid you?"

"Yep." Black nodded, looking over the ride fondly. "Unexpected, huh?"

"Kinda."

"So what about you? What kinda of ride would've gotten your attention?"

"Rollercoasters." Hilda answered immediately. "If I ever went to an amusement park, i imagine I would be the type to try to sneak onto the biggest rollercoasters imaginable."

"Well, with the way that you just like to insert yourself into unsafe situations," Black chuckled under his breath. "That doesn't surprise me."

" _Hil-da, Hil-da, what are we going to do?"_

Hilda glanced up at Petilil resting on her head. She figured that, of all her pokémon, the little cheerleader would enjoy the bustling park the most. And considering that, even though Black's company was so far, dare she say, _pleasant…_ She still needed some form of coping mechanism.

"Well, I wanna challenge the gym and get that out of the way. Speaking of which," she turned to Black with a wide grin. "I heard that Nimbassa's gym _is_ a rollercoaster! A battle and a thrill all wrapped into one!"

"I can see you're excited."

"Of course I am!" Hilda marched back towards the gym. "And I've already made the decision that we're gonna get work out of the way first and foremost!"

She didn't wait for him to respond to her demand, instead marching towards the gym. The building she was approaching was purple in color, but she saw a ton of rollercoaster tracks coming in and out of it.

"This is going to be awesome." she breathed under her breath as Black came up beside her.

"Okay, I'm going to admit, you being this excited in my presence is starting to weird me out." Black spoke with an air of amusement. "I'm starting to think that maybe you _did_ suffer some sort of concussion back in Castelia."

"Oh, please! Are you mad because my excitement is overwhelming your edginess, Black?"

"Not at all." Black said, approaching the counter. "Excuse me, where do we go for the gym battles?"

The teenage ride operator gave them a long hard stare, then sighed.

"Trainer's license, please."

Black gave her a pat on the shoulder as she handed the license to him.

"This is just to make sure you really are a trainer and not trying to cut lines." he continued with a monotonous voice. Handing back her license, he continued. "Challengers wait in the line with the pokéball symbol over it. People who just want to ride the coaster stand over there, where the cart symbol is."

Hilda's gaze drifted to the long line of people waiting to get on the ride, then slowly glanced up at Black.

"So, do you wanna challenge the gym with me, or…?"

"I'm not interested in gym battles." Black shrugged, he glanced over at a nearby concession stand within the gym. "I'm guessing that's for people who want to enjoy their lunch in the air conditioning. I'll sit over there and wait for you to win."

"Alright, then." Hilda nodded once then stepped back. "Don't move, I'll be right back!"

Then, she bolted to the lineless challenger gate. Immediately, a cart sped up to her, halting on the tracks. As she sat down…

"Today, Hilda White of Nuvema Town will be challenging Gym Leader Elesa, The Shining Beauty." the operator continued to drone on through the loudspeaker. "Until the challenger reaches the battlefield, all rides will be postponed. Once she has reached the battlefield, rides will continue as they were before."

He inhaled deeply, almost yawning, then continued.

"Please return any and all pokémon on your person. Please keep your hands and arms inside the cart at all times. Our ride operators will be around to make sure you are securely buckled in."

Hilda could feel excitement and anticipation bubbling in her stomach as she returned Petilil to her pokéball. Then, she reached into her ponytail and poked Victini awake.

" _Hey, what's the big idea? I was sleeping!_ " he snapped.

"Yeah, well, I'm returning you to your pokéball so you don't get motion sick and puke in my hair." she answered, pressing the button on Victini's pokéball and dragging him back in.

Settling into her seat, she waited as two ride supervisors came along and made sure she was buckled into the pod tightly. Soon they stepped back, and the monotonous teen came over the loudspeaker again.

"The pod is now closing. Please enjoy the ride and good luck battling our gym leader."

As he finished saying that, the pod closed shut, encasing Hilda in. She began to bounce in her seat excitedly as the screen in front of her began to count down from three. The minute it hit zero, she was suddenly zipping across the ride at a tremendous speed. She threw her hands in the air and screamed with delight as she went up and down hills, through about two loops, and finally halted to a stop.

The pod opened while Hilda was still wheezing out laughs.

"Well, you seemed to have enjoyed that. Did the fantastic speed leave you dizzy?"

"Oh, not at all." Hilda grinned as she unbuckled herself. Glancing up at who was talking to her, Hilda saw a pretty blond woman dressed rather glamorously. "So you're…?"

"I am the gym leader, Elesa." the woman offered, striding across the battlefield as if she were on a runway. "I also happen to be a model and aspiring actress."

Hilda glanced down at her heels, then back up to the way she was walking. Well, her being a model certainly explained the heels and the walk. She just never expected a gym leader to have side gigs as a model.

Glancing around, Hilda felt her face sour as she saw a mix of screaming fans in the audience, mostly women and young girls cheering for Elesa, though she saw one to many fanboy groupies for her liking.

"Now then… You're Hilda, correct?"

"That's my name!" she responded, distracting herself from the screaming fanboys, demanding Elesa's attention.

"What is the one thing that battles and modeling have in common?"

"Uh…" that question honestly caught Hilda a little bit off guard. She wasn't sure how exactly to answer it. However, thankfully for her, she didn't have to.

"The answer is that in both scenarios," Elesa turned, and with a flourish, released her first pokémon. "A quality trainer and a quality model never loose their composure! So please,"

She tucked one of her cords over her shoulder and smiled.

"Do try to keep it, we have the Aspertia City Trainer School here, after all."

"You don't say…" Hilda smirked as she stared down Emolga. "Okay, then. Lets see how long you can keep that up. Eevee, lets show these kids what a real battle is all about!"

Eevee popped from his pokéball, landing on his feet with ease. He let out a yawn before shaking his head back and forth and getting into his battle position.

"How precious…" Elesa cooed at her pokémon. Half the audience were murmuring curiously at the sight of a new pokémon on the field, some excited kids asking their parents and partners about what the pokémon was, exactly the reaction Hilda was hoping for.

"Alright Eevee, Swift!"

Eevee leapt up in the air and flipped. As his tail came around, a series of golden stars rained upon the battlefield. Emolga managed to dodge the attack, but in order to remedy that, Hilda gestured for Eevee to spin. spinning in a three sixty manner, Eevee sent the glowing stars spiraling across the whole field, not giving Emolga a chance to dodge.

"There you go, Eevee!" Hilda grinned. "Bite!"

"Quick attack." Elesa responded.

As Eevee barred it's fangs at Emolga, Emolga burst towards him with intense speed. As he slammed into Eevee, Eevee recovered and bit into one of Emolga's wing flaps.

" _Ow!"_ Emolga grimaced, glaring at Eevee. " _Those are sensitive you heathen!"_

"Emolga, Volt Switch!"

" _With pleasure!"_ Emolga glowered, suddenly wrapping Eevee's face in a hug. As soon as she did that, Emolga's entire form suddenly burst with electricity, shocking Eevee into letting go.

"You alright?!" Hilda asked as Eevee leapt back.

" _I'm fine, I'm fine… Ow…"_ Eevee groaned, pawing at his face as he looked back to the battlefield.

"Okay, let's go with-" Hilda cut herself off as the familiar red of a pokéball suddenly appeared, outlining Emolga. Emolga smiled smugly at them as she was pulled back into her pokéball without Elesa even touching it. "What?"

Before she could utter another word, a Zebstrika suddenly emerged from Elesa's belt, beating his hoof against the ground ready for ann attack.

"Volt switch, as the name implies, is a move that lets me switch out my pokémon when it is used." Elesa explained simply.

"Well, good going for you, you just revealed your "secret technique"." Hilda put air quotes around that in order to emphasize her point.

"Yes, but I've already seen through yours." Elesa smiled at her. "You sent out that Eevee because you hope to catch people off guard since it's not a species native to Unova. Probably because you don't know what to do about my electric types since you lack a type effective against them. For inexperienced trainers, it might work, but not on someone like me. That being said…"

Elesa's arm shot out.

"Zebstrika, Double Kick!"

Zebstrika burst forward and turned, using one of his back hooves to throw Eevee in the air. He then sent the other one that shot Eevee into the stands.

"Eevee!" Hilda exclaimed, leaving her spot adjacent to Elesa to recover her partner. All around her, she could hear fans jeering at her while cheering on Elesa. Gently, she scooped Eevee into her arms.

" _That one hurt… That one really hurt…"_ Eevee grumbled. " _I'm not down and out yet, but I can't take another hit like that."_

"It's fine, we'll deal with Zebstrika first." Hilda muttered, standing up while cradling Eevee.

"You should just give up while you can." one of the fanboys mocked her from above. She lifted her gaze to glare at him, whereas his buddy joined in on the mockery.

"There's no way a plain girl like you could beat someone as magnificent as Elesa."

"Then shut up and watch." Hilda hissed at them, turning back to the battlefield. "You want some familiarity? Fine then! Blitzle, I've got a challenge for you!"

Blitzle let out a whinny to signify her readiness to fight, causing Elesa to pause.

"I see. Using an electric type against an electric type, especially a Blitzle, negates electric attacks."

 _"Such a little girl thinks she stands a chance against me?"_ Zebstrika tossed his head in the air pompously. " _How hilarious!"_

"Try using your Volt Switch now." Hilda grinned as Blitzle got into stance from the insult. "Flame charge!"

"You as well, Zebstrika!" Elesa ordered.

Both pokémon became enveloped in flames, rushing towards each other. The combined attacks caused a small explosion, sending smoke hurdling across the stadium. As it cleared, everyone was greeted with the sight of the two pokémon locked in a power struggle with their horns, small sparks flying as they grated against each other. Hilda knew that Blitzle was to stubborn to back off so easily, whereas Zebstrika would easily overpower the smaller pokémon.

" _Any smart ideas?!"_ Blitzle demanded, looking back at her. Hilda kept her eyes on Blitzle, then lifted her right foot up and slammed it down. Blitzle was quiet for a second then grinned. " _Gotcha!"_

Then, she ducked under Zebstrika's horns, bolted around his side, and got onto her back legs. Then, with glowing hooves, she stomped onto Zebstrika's side for all she was worth. Immediately, Zebstrika countered with a Double Kick.

"You alright, Blitzle?" Hilda asked as she skidded to a stop in front of Hilda.

" _I feel weird._ " Blitzle muttered. " _Like… tingly."_

"Tingly?" Hilda echoed quietly. Was it possible for Blitzle to be paralyzed? Even if Zebstrika didn't use an electric attack, the static may have done it… But then Blitzle would have absorbed it due to her lightening rod ability.

Just as she was about to pull Blitzle back for fear of injury, Blitzle suddenly became outlined in white. Recognizing this dazzling lightshow, Hilda grinned, knowing exactly what was happening.

"Lets see how knowledgeable you really are," Hilda grinned. "Ready Zebstrika?!"

" _You bet I am!"_ she spoke confidently as she stared across the battlefield with intense determination and confidence. " _Throw out the first move, boy!"_

Despite her challenge, however, Elesa's Zebstrika simply stared at Hilda's. Then, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

" _I do believe I was quite wrong about you before, miss. If I had known you would have been so lovely once you evolved I would not have said such horrid things."_

"Zebstrika, Flame Charge." Elesa ordered.

" _No! I refuse to strike down my lady love!"_

Hilda could feel her face sour in a similar manner to her own Zebstrika at that exclamation. Like he said, he refused to follow orders, causing Hilda's Zebstrika to look back.

" _Can I Thrash him? Please?"_

"Go ahead." Hilda waved her hand, giving her the go to do knock him aside. Using Thrash, Zebstrika easily pummeled her foe until she sent him flying.

" _Despite the pain I still love yooooouuuuu!"_ he cried as he flew through the air, finally landing in a heap in the center of the battlefield. Elesa seemed slightly surprised by his behavior, but shrugged it off, returning him.

"I've never seen Zebstrika act like this. But no matter," she brought out Emolga again with a picture-worthy smile. "Lets see how you fair here."

"For the record, Elesa," Hilda spoke as she returned Zebstrika, Eevee jumping from her arms. "I didn't send Eevee out because I was hoping to confuse you."

"No?" Elesa asked.

"Trump Card, Eevee!" Hilda ordered, watching as cards in various colors began to swirl around Eevee. As they hurtled towards their target, Elesa counter attacked by ordering a Pursuit.

"Then why else would you send him out?"

"Because Eevee is my go-to partner!" Hilda exclaimed. "If I'm ever uncertain about a battle, I know I can always rely on Eevee to pull me through! He always has and I know this, so…"

She thrust out her arm with a triumphant smile as Eevee leapt into the air, golden trails of energy surrounding him as he did.

"Eevee, Last Resort!"

Just as the command left her lips, a massive star surrounded Eevee. With a flash, he flipped, sending several smaller starts hurtling into Emolga after the bigger star. The gym was alight with a magnificent glow as the move took on it's full effect. As the move made contact, there was a flash of light, yet just before the light forced Hilda to close her eyes, she noticed Elesa smiling to herself.

"… Truly special." Elesa murmured before they gym was engulfed in light.

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda(16): Eevee(m), Oshawott(m), Petilil(f), Zebrstrika(f), Victini(m)  
Bianca(16): Lillipup(f), Pignite(m), Litwik(f), Pansage(m), Munna(f)  
Cheren(16): Purlion(f), Snivy(f), Roggenrola(m), Panpour(f)  
Black(16?): Minccino(f), Archeops(m), Simisear(f), Siesmitoad(m), Ferrothorn(f)

Sara(19): Risu(Emolga, f), Ransu(Escavalier, m)  
Vale(18): Audino(f), Joltik(m), Cottenee(m), Mienfoo(f), Gothitelle(f)

o.0.o.0.o

 **I honestly don't remember if Black ever outwardly flirted with Bianca after their first meeting in Nuvema… I was trying really hard to make it a super one-sided, blown out of proportion crush on Bianca's side, though Black should have set her straight instead of just avoiding her outright.**

 **But even still, I don't really see Black as being in the wrong in all of this. I mean, I know Black is kind of the resident asshole, but even though Black is the reason for Bianca's heartbreak and sadness, it doesn't really make him the fault of it.**

 **Sort of like a backwards twist on the fact that Cheren can't be mad at the guy who makes the first move on Bianca… I guess.**

 **Anyways, I wanted to get more into N and Vale, but then I decided to not do that. Instead, I'm going to do that in the NEXT chapter.**

 **Anyways, I just barely made the time crunch before we switched to 2019! Happy New Year everyone!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	29. Games Begin!

**Okay, a special response to a special guest reviewer!**

 **Adrian, I hope you read this! I got your review and I wish I could PM you to express how much joy your review brought to my heart. Considering the vast amount of stories on this website, I applaud your determination to actually seek me out. I legit am updating this chapter simply because I want to thank you again and again and again. But in all seriousness, you should maybe start an account! That way you can favorite stories you like and follow authors you like. This way you'll get notifications on when chapters update(which will be very useful with me since I don't really have an update schedule, lol). Not to mention, classes for my uni are starting soon, so my update schedule will be even MORE sporadic. Also, also, I sometimes PM my reviewers from time to time. This way, if you ever have questions or are curious about something, I can respond via PM instead of in a chapter. Of course, you don't have to, but I think that, with me as an author and you, as someone who clearly wants to keep up to date on my stories, it might be beneficial.**

 **In fact, the sentiment is extended to all my guest reviewers. Please create accounts! I'd love to communicate with you and make sure you know when my stories are updated!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, Vale, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 24th, X017_

"Oh my Arceus, Black, you should have seen the looks on their faces. Those fanboys couldn't believe their _goddess_ lost to…"

Hilda trailed off as she reached the food court, ready to boast her newly obtained Bolt Badge to Black, only to see that he wasn't even there. Her gaze shot back and forth across the food court, then to the line of people for the ride. Staring at the line, she recognized a woman who was at the back of the line about in the middle now. No way Black was on the ride.

"The sonnovabitch!" she swore, loudly, garnering a few glares and stares from passing parents. She paid them no mind, however, marching towards the concession stand doubling as a medical center for trainers. She passed the nurse Zebstrika and Eevee's pokéballs and began to seethe.

She knew she couldn't trust him to stay put for more than five seconds, let alone the hour or so it took her to take on Elesa. But even still! She had one Arceus-damned job and she went and messed it up. Who knows what Black was pulling right now, what girl he was picking up, how he was interfering with Bianca and Cheren…

"F*ck." she whispered under her breath, resting her head on the table and pounding her forehead into the surface with each word echoed. "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck…"

" _You seem rather sour for someone who just beat a gym leader._ "

Hilda didn't need to lift her head to recognize Eevee's voice. Peeking through her arms, she saw that Eevee was riding on Zebstrika's back, led by the nurse who was holding her pokéballs. Slowly, Hilda sat up, and the nurse gave a brief medical diagnosis and spoke about how they were back in tip-top shape. Since her sour look didn't really let up, the nurse awkwardly walked away after Hilda gave her a gruff 'thank you'.

" _Got ditched, huh?"_

"Something like that," she muttered, picking Eevee up off of Zebstrika's back. "I feel like an idiot, dammit. Like why the f*ck did I trust him to stick around? He's probably off trying to woo a model or something stupid, dumbass asswhipe…"

" _It's okay, Hil-da!"_ Petilil exclaimed, along with the pop of her pokéballs and others. " _I promise to never, ever, ever abandon you ever, ever, ever!"_

"Abandon…" Hilda rolled her eyes, plucking Petilil from atop her head and setting her down on the table. "Yeah, right. Okay then. You're overreacting big time, Petilil, but I appreciate the sentiment."

" _Petilil's kind of like macaroons, in my opinion."_ Victini spoke, hiding on her lap, out of public view. " _Sweet as can be, but can make you super sick if you overindulge."_

 _"You're super sweet, Victini~!"_ Petilil sang, peeking over the edge.

" _I think that was an insult, Petilil…"_ Dewott trailed off.

" _Apparently she's as dense as a macaroon too."_

 _"Okay that was definitely an insult! Why you picking fights?!"_

"Cool it, Seashell Slasher." Hilda sighed, holding Dewott from razor-shelling the table in half by holding her hand over his face. "You're causing a scene."

" _Who, me?"_ Dewott suddenly shifted, trying to pull the cute act that he was known for as an Oshawott.

" _You know that doesn't really work now that you're no longer a runt."_ Zebstrika made an obvious point of rolling her eyes.

"Where would a brat like you even get macaroons anyways? Aren't those some sort of…" Hilda waved her hand in the air. "I dunno. Like, a Kalosian thing?"

" _I've had many people come and offer me many, many gifts and blessings from all over the world, back when Liberty Island was still open."_ Victini crossed his arms haughtily. " _Everyone wanted a taste of my victorious magic."_

Hilda rolled her eyes, wondering if she should suggest to Victini that, possibly, those "gifts and blessings" were nothing more than bait in order to lure him out.

" _Anyways, you should let bygones be bygones, Hilda."_ Zebstrika suddenly cut in with a piece of sound advice. " _If the ass couldn't bother to stick around, he isn't worth the time."_

"There's some good advice!" Hilda grinned, petting Zebstrika somewhat roughly on her head. "Zebstrika f*cking gets it!"

Slamming her hands on the table, she stood with an arm wrapped around Victini.

"This is _my journey_ and I made it here _on my own_ so if Black decided he didn't want to hang around then he can rightly _f*ck off!"_

"You sure do sound passionate for someone who supposedly doesn't seem to care much."

Hilda flinched, turning to look over her shoulder to see Elesa casually standing there, twisting the cord of her headphones around her fingers before flicking it over her shoulder.

"Hello, dear."

"Uh… hi." Hilda did a quick once over, looking for her rabid fanclub. "Soooo… How long were you there for?"

"Long enough to see you proclaiming how independent you are. I'm just passing by."

"Okay." Hilda sat there for a moment with her pokémon staring at Elesa. An awkward tension fell over them. Hilda felt her skin bristle slightly as Elesa's gaze flicked from one pokémon to the next. "Do you have something to say? You can go now."

"I actually do have something to say." Elesa spoke, coming forward. "Your battle with me."

"What about it?"

"I've never seen anything like it." she strode across the small space between them, and casually picked up Petilil. Petilil seemed to be awestruck, eyes gleaming and dazzling as she made eye contact with Elesa. "Has anyone ever told you your pokémon are just _glowing?_ What is it that you do that made them look so dazzling?"

"Uh… I don't know. I take care of them and stuff. You know."

"Well, of course. But don't you have a secret tip or trick? Because genuinely, these pokémon are the most glorious I've ever seen… They shine like no other pokémon I've ever seen, and trust me, I've seen quite a few." setting Petilil back down, Elesa smiled. "Now then, I figured a girl with your type of spunk would be out and about in the thrill ride section of the park. Why are we moping in my gyms concession stand?"

"I'm not _moping."_ Hilda scowled. "My… Somewhat friend was waiting here for me, but he freaking ditched me and I'm a little pissy about it."

"Somewhat friend?"

"I don't like the guy but I don't loath him like I did when I first met him!" Hilda snapped.

"Ah, boyfriend issues."

Hilda could hear all her pokémon but Petilil laugh in some way or form. Petilil simply blinked innocently at her.

" _What's so funny, Hil-da?"_

"Oh my Arceus, someone _gag me."_ she groaned. "Don't ever reference him like that again for the love of Zekrom…"

"… Right." Elesa spoke, a small smile on her face that Hilda certainly didn't like. It was like she knew something Hilda didn't, or something flew over her head. Hilda didn't like it.

"So what are you doing?" Hilda asked. "Shouldn't you be pacifying your fanclub after your loss?"

"Those boys?" Elesa rolled her eyes. "Those boys are probably reviewing the newly updated battle footage trying to find a fallacy or a way you cheated or something. They're _annoying."_

"A fallacy?"

"Yeah." Elesa shrugged. "They're probably going to try to cancel out your battle by saying it's illegal for you to continue using Zebstrika after she evolved because you started the battle with Blitzle so technically you used three pokémon instead of two." She let out an irritated sigh, her shoulders tensing. "I'll override it immediately, of course, but it's annoying nonetheless. They're trying to do something "nice" but it just ends up making more work for me."

"So you're avoiding work?"

"About to jump into it, actually." Elesa smiled. "My father runs this park, and I tend to clear up troubles whenever they arise and he cannot. Fixing arcade glitches and settling concession stand arguments is much easier than trying to convince my fans they're in the wrong."

"You don't say." Hilda decided she was absolutely bored with this conversation.

"Apparently," Elesa continued. "There's a young man around your age wracking up prizes in our game corners. It's drawing a crowd and people are accusing him of cheating, of bribing the workers? It's quite silly. However, going over receipts,"

Elesa flicked through some sort of document on her X-transceiver.

"Apparently, he's already won over fifty thousand tickets at the arcade, about twenty mini pokémon plushes from claw games, and currently is on a role with obtaining larger plushes at various concession games."

"Maybe he's just lucky or skilled."

"Or he's found a way to glitch the system into getting more prizes." Elesa shrugged. "I'm not really sure and I don't really care. But I just need to check to see if it's really legitimate."

"I'll go." Hilda shrugged, standing up and bring out her pokéballs. "Thanks for the pep-talk, everyone. I'll let you out later to run around and play."

"You actually want to come?"

"Sure." Hilda shrugged. "You can show me around, I'll tell you if this guy is cheating your systems or not."

Victini scrambled into her ponytail, making his little nest while she place Petilil on her head.

"I've got something of an eye for it."

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda felt her jaw drop in surprise as she watched the so-called scammer play the games. Surrounding him was a bunch of pre-teen kids, all of them sporting similar backpacks, indicating a trainer school. Almost all of them were holding candy or plushes of some kind. The game they were currently playing was a shooting game where the player had ray guns and had to shoot at a digital deoxys.

"Okay, now Hugh!" Black shouted to his partner in crime. The younger boy nodded, and with what could only be described as a roar, began to rapid fire the raybeams at deoxys. In one fell swoop, the boss of the supposed game was obliterated.

The entire stand lit up with the word "winner" on the board overhead. The students cheered while Hugh let out a whoop, fully rotating on the stool for the stand while Black accepted the prize, an enormous, bordering on the size of a beanbag, Lapris plush.

"That thing is going to take up half the bus, Hugh!" one of the girls gushed as Hugh staggered under the weight of the prize.

"Yeah, but I've been aiming to get this stupid thing for years! Finally got it, I know my sister will love it!" Hugh glanced back at Black. "Say, mister, think you could help me get one more thing? Like, I'm super grateful for this and for the Drayden figure, but I wanna know if we have enough tickets for _one_ more thing…"

"Sure, kid, whatever you need." Black shrugged, grinning as he ruffled Hugh's hair. "We should find a safe place for that though, wouldn't want it to get ripped or anything."

"You're right!" Hugh nodded. "Come on, class, help me get this back to the hotel!" he gave a small glance back at Black. "Don't leave or anything, okay? We'll be right back!"

Then, with a mighty heave-ho, Hugh and two of his classmates began to take the huge plush back to the hotel. Black waved them off with a smile while the other classmates began chattering excitedly.

"So what do you think?" Elesa asked. Hilda blinked, tearing her gaze from Black to look up at her. "He fits the description and judging by what those students are saying, he's been using his winnings to get them prizes."

"Yeah, you don't need to worry about him." Hilda shook her head. "I don't know what he's thinking or who replaced the real Black with this dude, but he's being honest."

"He's your friend?"

"Something like that." Hilda shrugged. "His name is Black. He's not cheating you out of your money or anything. I can tell."

"Right." Elesa sounded intrigued, but she didn't seem to doubt Hilda.

"Elesa!" one of the guys behind the counter suddenly reached across the separator and grabbed the back of Black's hoodie. Hilda squinted at his nametag, flitting over his name then reading his title. Game Management… "This is the guy I was telling you about!"

"Huh? So my reputation has already reached the gym leader?" Black asked, glancing back at the worker.

"He's been winning all morning and I swear he's doing something to rig the machines! No one has ever been this successful at winning."

"Well, that's not nice." Black glanced over at him. "Just because I'm good at something doesn't make me a bad person. I won fair and square."

"You. Black, correct?" Elesa pointed to the game. "How did you win?"

"Easy." Black shook off the manager and pointed to the game. "If you watch closely for a long time, you'll notice patterns to the way things pop up and what will grant you bonuses and what won't. You get twenty-five shots per a round. You aim at the right things then you can get the right bonuses to grant more time or more powerups to you and your partners. One would think you and your partner should work together, but what you really should do is have one person who's a good shot do all the work, and then when the defenses of deoxys is down, have the other person use all their powerups and shots in one swoop. That's how Hugh and I won the Lapras."

He grinned cheekily at the manager.

"I mean, if you want, I can show you how I did it and take that Snorlax off your hands."

"Oh, release the young man and stop wasting my time." Elesa sighed, shaking her head. "Those dolls have sat on those shelves for months with no one winning them."

"But Elesa-"

"He isn't cheating." Elesa sighed. "That's my final verdict. That being said," she turned to Black, her features slowly morphing from that of annoyance to a smile. "Please, don't make us go for broke. Even if you are good at the games here, maybe you could give these employees here a small break and enjoy the other attractions."

"Sure thing, once I finish helping out Hugh I'll be done." Black turned his gaze to Hilda and smiled. "Besides, now that Hilda's here, I don't think I'll be playing games for long. She doesn't have the patience to win _or_ to watch me play."

"Damn straight." Hilda snapped at him, crossing her arms.

"Fine, then." Elesa turned on her heel and waved at them as she left. "Have fun, you two."

With that, Elesa was gone, the crowd parting for her like she was a goddess or something. Black offered her a casual wave goodbye, Hilda arching an eyebrow as he lowered his hand. He met his gaze and cocked his head.

"What?"

"You're not going to make a pass at her? She's a gym leader," Hilda lowered her voice as she continued, so not to alarm the people around them. "And, you know. Insanely popular. I'm sure that, going by your shitty life principles, she'd be 'useful' to you."

The quotes around her word were made obvious in her voice and with the air quotes she made with her fingers. Black visibly pouted, crossing his arms.

"I'm actually trying you know."

"Yeah, sure." Hilda rolled her eyes. "We'll see if you can keep this up after the three hundred day deadline."

"What can I say." Black shrugged, smiling smugly. "Maybe you're worth changing for, huh?"

" _Riiiiiight."_ Hilda was certain if she rolled her eyes any farther they'd roll into the back of her head. "So, Black, what's all of this? The kids and, oh, I dunno, the fact that your little act _completely dropped."_

"Little act?" Black echoed, placing a hand over his heart. "Oh me oh my, you really are aiming to hurt my soul. My loving kindness, generosity, and admiration is nothing but an act to you?"

"More often than not!" Hilda jabbed him in the chest. "So come on, spill the beans! Why the hell are you acting so nice to these brats?"

"Brats? They're only thirteen. Three years off from you."

"Don't dodge the question, Black."

"Fine, then," Black met her gaze with a small, nostalgic smile on his face. "When I first came here as a kid, my mom was pregnant with my little sister. I wanted to win her a nice prize for her nursery, but I ended up wasting, like, fifty bucks and ended up with nothing more than a small, cheaply made lillipup doll."

"Were you aiming for a Lapras?" Hilda asked, glancing up as the employees put a new one on display.

"Yeah." Black put his hands in his pockets, the nostalgic look never leaving his eyes as he continued, to Hilda's surprise. "She's probably about thirteen years old now."

"About?" Hilda asked. "What does that mean? Aren't you in contact with her?"

Black was quiet and the air around him suddenly became very heavy. Again, Hilda got a feeling she asked a question or broached a subject she shouldn't have. Black's shoulders were tense and his head was bowed, though that smile was still on his face. His eyes were a mix of nostalgia and sorrow, hardly matching his expression.

"Do you having any siblings, Hilda?" Black asked softly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Nope." Hilda shook her head. "Only child. I think I mentioned that before… Just me and my Mom once my Dad left the picture… right?"

"Maybe you did." Black lifted his head, gaze flicking over the crowd of chattering kids. "I guess I have a soft spot for these guys because I miss her… Especially Hugh. He got so mad when he lost those arcade games."

Black chuckled dryly, shaking his head.

"Not like me, when I was a kid. I cried when I got that Lillipup. I thought it was so lackluster for my money, you know? But Hugh got angry. He kicked the machine and slammed his fist into it and accused the workers of ripping him off… He just wanted a souvenir for his sister, so I helped him out." Black shifted his bag slightly, and Hilda saw tickets pooling out of his bag. "A little."

"How much money did you _spend?"_

"Not a lot." Black chuckled. "These games are easy once you recognize the pattern."

Black shook his head slightly, fiddling with the brim of his hat.

"Not something you expected, huh? Big bad Black turns out to be an arcade nerd as well as a nostalgic softie. Not smooth or cool at all…"

"… You did all this just because these kids reminded you of your sister?"

"Well, and Hugh reminded me of myself. I understood his sentiments." Black averted his gaze and fidgeted slightly.

"Oh my Arceus, you're embarrassed." Hilda snorted back a laugh. "How _quaint."_

"So you really do think this makes me look dumb."

"… _Naaaah."_ Hilda droned on with a grin. "Lighten up a bit, I appreciate the honesty. There's nothing wrong with just being _nice._ Just, considering the stunt you pulled back at the daycare center, I didn't expect you to be sentimental or kind towards kids or anything."

"What…?" Black furrowed his brow. "You mean with Seismitoad? I thought kids liked big impressive things."

"There's a difference between big and impressive and nightmare fuel, Black." Hilda crossed her arms. "Like, think of it from their perspective. If Seismitoad is almost a foot taller than you, how do you think it feels to a toddler that is this tall?"

She held her hand just a little above her knees for emphasis. Black was quiet for a moment, turning his gaze forward. His gaze was again nostalgic, overlooking the class of students still grouped together. However, it wasn't just his eyes that softened. His entire face and body relaxed, like a wave of relief had simply washed over him.

"My sister loved pokémon, all pokémon, no matter how big or scary or ugly the pokémon may have looked. Same with people… No matter how big or scary or flawed a person was, she always…"

He suddenly shut his mouth, bowing his head so his cap shielded his eyes. Judging by his relaxed stance, he still seemed to be caught in a moment of nostalgia, though this surprised Hilda. Was the acceptance of this new side Black, the arcade nerd with a soft spot for his sister, really that much of a relief to him?

"Black," Hilda tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey. What's your sisters name?"

She was certain that Black had heard her question, even though Hugh and his buddies came bounding back up to him. Conveniently, Black ignored what she had asked and began to talk just as enthusiastically with the boys. Hilda thought that his lack of response was odd, but she decided to brush it off. She shouldn't be picking through his personal life, what the hell did she even care, anyways?

Besides! She was in _Nimbassa f*cking City!_ Sure, she wasn't with Cheren or Bianca, but honest Black's company was better than no company and she was prepared to make the most of his offer to cover food!

o.0.o.0.o

"I'm not ready for this." Vale whispered under her breath, gripping the doorknob to her room as a wave of anxiety washed over her.

She knew that she needed to do this. It wasn't a question of whether she wanted to or not, this was integral to helping N see the other side. He approached her and asked for her help, even if it was something as simple as this. It indicated _trust._ She knew she had to go out and do this but she just wasn't prepared for it mentally.

The minute she hit her bed last night, anxiety plagued her mind. What if she wasn't fun enough for N? What if she couldn't make his trip ideal, like he wanted? What if she ran into Silver or Lyra, despite going out in the evening? What if she did something or said something to make N distrust her? What if she ruined this? Ruined N's experience? Ruined her first real chance at finally solidifying the bond of trust they had?

On top of that, her own vanity was plaguing her outside of N. What if someone commented on her height, or saw her face? What if N saw her face? What if there was a comment made, or someone laughed?

Vale had stolen some of Bianca's foundation when she had left this morning, trying as best she could to cover the scars. Thankfully, their skintone was more or less the same and the foundation was high in quality, so the scars were mostly covered, not noticeable unless someone got right in her face and stared for a few minutes. However, to her utter dismay, she realized that the eye itself still drew attention due to being almost three shades lighter than her other eye.

She gripped the doorknob tightly as she struggled to calm herself down. If she was careful, like she always was, then she had no reason to be worried. After all, she had outrun Silver before, and N wouldn't have gone out of his way to ask her to the amusement park if he didn't want to. The only thing she had to worry about was someone seeing her face.

But weren't rollercoasters and other rides supposed to go fast? Fast enough to blow hair off her face? Probably…

Groaning slightly, she rested her head against the door. Why? Why did she have to be like this?

Suddenly, Joltik began to furiously crawl around her body, as if excited. With his reaction, there was a tap against the window. Vale glanced over her shoulder, then whipped around, seeing N was knocking against her window, leaning precariously out of a tree.

"N, what on earth are you doing?" she demanded, opening the window. Nimbly, and much like a pokémon himself, N managed to squirm through the window, standing on the ledge before hopping over the nightstands and landing deftly on his feet.

"I got worried you weren't coming." N explained simply. "So I had some of my friends scout the outside of the center until they found your room. Then I climbed the tree to make sure you didn't leave or forget."

Vale could feel her expression change, but she wasn't quite sure what she was feeling. Was N also anxious? The change must have been obvious, because N's face suddenly dropped, like a child that just got scolded.

"Are you mad?"

Mad? Vale wasn't mad in the slightest. In fact, she felt quite humored by his actions. The way that they were childish in nature reminded her of Bianca, and in truth, it warmed her heart a little. Even if she was certain he was more worried about being abandoned than her wellbeing, it didn't matter. It showed that he cared enough to even bother.

"No, I'm not mad. Plus you're early. The sun has just begun to set."

"I know." N bashfully turned his head away. "I was just really excited… That's all."

Adorable. That was the first word that Vale thought of when she took in his response. She wasn't sure she could place why, exactly, she found his excitement adorable, and the thought was as flitting as a breeze. After all, she rationalized, now is not the time for that.

"It's fine to be excited." Vale offered her words gently, hoping to ease N back into a level of comfort. "You've wanted to do this for some time, right? Just… Next time don't try to go through a window. It might draw unwanted attention."

"I understand." N nodded enthusiastically. "So are you ready? For the park?"

Vale knew she couldn't turn him down now, especially for an excuse as poor as anxiety and vanity. So she did her best to muster up a smile, leaving her room with N trailing behind.

So taking a final breath, she followed a somewhat familiar path down the hallway, exiting the pokémon center. She inhaled, staring up at the sky dyed a brilliant pink and oragne. Even though it was late September, Nimbassa City's weather still felt warm, even in the evening. Not as warm as Johto, where the lowest she's ever experienced was about fifty degrees…

"I thought it was supposed to get cold in Unova at this time of year." she commented under her breath. "It still feels warm…"

"Climates vary in Unova." N answered, beginning to let his knowledge of the region overflow. "I know in Johto that it's pretty routine weather across the continent because of how small it is. However, in Unova, different cities and towns experience different climates. For instance, Nuvema Town's leaves are probably turning colors right now! But up in Icirrus probably is experiencing snow…"

"Yet it's warm here in Nimbassa." Vale murmured. "Even in the evenings. I like weather like this. Some places it gets to hot and muggy. It's uncomfortable."

"You like cooler weather Vale?"

"I like temperate weather. Not to warm and not to cold."

"I like warm temperatures." N responded nostalgically. "Because fun memories are always associated with warm weather. However…"

His eyes lit up brightly.

"I've read great books that have winter activities or rainy-day activities that might be fun."

Vale tucked that piece of information into the back of her mind. She'd have to remind herself of that and encourage it when the need arises. Tilting her gaze up, she barely spotted the first glimmer of a star in the sky… it was hard to spot when it came to the bright flashing lights of Unova.

"It's strange. You can't see the stars very well here in Unova."

"You noticed to?" N turned his gaze skywards.

"Yeah… I think the lights are to bright. It interferes and makes it harder to see them. Clearly, at least."

"I didn't think you were the type to care about stars."

"I do care about them. I like them." Vale glanced up at him. "Remember, you left that book on astrology in my room 'on accident'?"

"… I didn't think you even looked at that book," N's voice went soft as they continued down the street. "Let alone remembered I did that."

"Well, I did. I learned everything I could from that book." Vale kept her gaze upwards. "I think I'll miss the stars in Johto. They were so clear and pretty…"

"If we could get above the lights…" N murmured.

"Don't get distracted now, N." Vale found herself smiling, grabbing the edge of his sleeve so he would stop before crossing the street into the traffic of parents leaving with their children. Still holding his sleeve, she tugged him along and into the park. Standing outside the gate, she smiled. "Wouldn't want to loose your partner, right?"

"Oh…" N lifted his gaze up, then beamed brightly. "Oooooh! Vale…!"

He was smiling ear to ear, unable to contain his gasp of awe and excitement. Again, he was about to bolt forward, only for Vale to stop him again.

"We need ride passes to get in, N."

"Ride passes?" he echoed. She nodded to the gate with several tired-looking employees behind it.

"See everyone with those bands around their wrists?" she whispered under her breath. "People wear them so they can tell who paid and who didn't."

"Oh, I see." N glanced back at the park. "To enjoy so many wonderful things probably wouldn't come free. I'm sorry, I got excited."

"It's fine." Vale waved her hand through the air. "I'm learning as I go, too. I just noticed the sign and figured, right?"

N glanced down at her, and this time, smiled. Easily, Vale felt she could write it off as him being extremely excited and happy about the park, but somehow… Somehow she wanted to believe he was smiling _at_ her rather than what was going on around her.

o.0.o.0.o

 **So this chapter was getting long and I decided to cut it off** ** _again._** **Next chapter will have Vale and N fluffiness as well as some Plasma drama. I'll try to update again before the end of February, though I won't make garauntees with my crazy schedule.**

 **Also, I'm working on editing up and revising another series! I'll reveal more info once everything is actually finished, but it's not related to pokemon… But I think people who enjoy romance, fantasy, and some slight action or drama might enjoy this!**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	30. Ferris Wheel Formula

**Hey hey hey! So I intend to update this before the end of Febuary, but hopefully this gets out on Valentines day! Hopefully. IDK.**

 **BUT THERE'S A DIRECT THE NIGHT I'M WRITING THIS, AAAAAH, I'M SO EXCITED.**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon. Only her OCs Vale, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 24th, X017_

N was beaming from ear to ear as he flitted from one stand to the next, trying his best to take in everything all at once while also enjoying the individual little things of the parts. True, it was a little bit crowded for his tastes, but it wasn't as crowded or busy as Castelia…

He just wanted to do everything but he wasn't even really sure what he wanted to do first.

"Hey, N." He glanced down at Vale. She offered him a smile and tugged him towards a map. "Maybe instead of yanking me around by my wrist, you could choose what to do based off this?"

"That would probably be the best route… But I just don't know what to do! I don't really get out of much and my duties always keep me from ever doing what I really want to do…"

"Well, there's roller coasters. Those are supposed to move fast, right? And you said you wanted something sweet yesterday…"

"What do you want to do?"

"Well... I don't know either. Whatever you want, I guess."

N knew he had to fit as much fun into these next couple of hours as he could, but he didn't want to waste Vale's time by dragging her through things that she doesn't like. His eyes darted across the map as he tried to make a choice.

"Say, N. You said you read about this in a book, right? What was your favorite part about the book?"

N faltered on the question. He knew the book by heart, but he knew what he liked the most in this amusement park.

"… The ferris wheel."

"Alright then," Vale pointed to the ferris wheel on the map. "Have you ever heard the term 'save the best for last'? We'll save the Ferris Wheel until then, so then you have something to look forward to throughout the night. Considering it's sun set and I haven't eaten since ten, do you want to eat something?"

She glanced over at him, waiting for confirmation. N nodded once, wondering why she hadn't eaten since ten.

"Say, Vale, how come you haven't eaten all day?"

"I don't eat much." Vale answered simply, glancing back over the map. "So it looks like the arcade is right next to the food courts. Are you interested in games, N?"

"Well, I do enjoy games."

"Then we'll spend some time there. Any other rides?"

"Roller coasters always looked fun."

Well, it looks like there's several here in the park…"

"Then lets go on all of them!"

"Alright then," Vale chuckled to herself. N felt his chest swell slightly with pride. He didn't really know why Vale was laughing, but something about it made him… feel fuzzy.

Shaking his head slightly, he glanced back at the map. Vale's finger was trailing across the map, asking him here and there if he wanted to do something or skip it. Soon, they had something of a game plan centered entirely on what he wanted to do, starting with food.

 _She's pretty considerate for someone who's bent on destruction… Even though I'm dragging her along…_

Suddenly, a very sweet scent drifted over him. He paused, again causing Vale's hand to jerk in his. He stared curiously into the stand of pink fluff, a sugary sweet scent coming from it.

"That smells sweet." he said curiously. "What is it?"

"Do you want some?" Vale asked. N didn't even get a chance to answer before she shook her hand free and approached the stand. The interaction was brief before she came back holding a bag of the stuff. "It's called cottonee candy."

"Cottonee…" N felt his stomach twist in horror at her brief explanation. Apparently the more adventurous of the two, she pulled a bit of the food from the rest of it, popping it in her mouth. He watched her expression twist for a moment, then light up.

"Oh, that's sweet, very sweet." she met his gaze as she tried to describe the flavor. "I literally cannot think of another flavor or description for it. Are you going to try it?"

"Vale," he met her gaze. " _Cottonee_ candy. I'm vegan."

"Yeah? I figured, with how much you care about pokémon. It's just called that." she tore off another piece and ate it. "People care so much about pokémon that they want it to be a constant theme in their life. This is literally straight sugar. It's not _literally made_ of Cottonee, N."

She pulled off another piece and studied it in her fingers.

"I think it's because it looks like the cotton patches on Cottonee. Honestly, it's not even the same consistency. Based on my Cottonee, at least. The have really small, soft feathers, so small that they just gather together and look like cotton. This is just… sticky."

N, though reluctant due to the name, hesitantly pulled a small piece off, barely the size of his thumb. Slowly, he popped it in his mouth… Then lit up when it dissolved away into delicious sweetness across his tongue.

"It's gone!" he exclaimed.

"Thought I'd keep that part to myself until you tried it." Vale teased. "So? Sweet enough for you?"

"Yes. Also, I can definitively say that this is _not_ made of Cottenee. Cottenee's fluff only gets soggy."

"I want to humor the idea that a Cottenee accidentally flew into your mouth, but I'm going to assume you shielded some Cottenee from the rain?"

"The latter." N smiled. "Cottonee will huddle under trees to dry out… I just helped them out with a Darmanitan."

There was a small lull in the conversation as they continued to eat the cottenee candy. Behind them, N heard excited screams, and turned. He saw a roller coaster with a huge hill, so high N wondered if he could touch the stars if he raised his arms high enough. He watched it go through another round as he absentmindedly ate the treat in his hands.

 _Touch the stars..._

"Vale, do you want to see the stars?" N asked. "Clearly?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"That." N pointed to the ride in question. Vale's gaze trailed upwards

"Looks like fun." she commented as the ride again dropped.

"Great!" N exclaimed, taking a large handful of the cottonee candy and shoving it in his mouth, wanting to continue on as soon as possible.

"Be careful how much of that you eat." Vale gave him an stern stare. "You might seal your mouth shut with the stickiness."

N inhaled sharply through his nostrils in a panic, only for the treat to again dissolve away. Just to check, though, he moved his jaw around a bit, tongue cleaning away the last of the remnants.

Vale's expression slowly went from stern to a slight smile.

"You were teasing!" N exclaimed as Vale snorted. "That's mean!"

"Oh geez, stop pouting." Vale rolled her eyes. "It was just a joke. Cheer up, eat some more."

"Well, then, I'll just eat all of this, then." N spoke simply, yanking her bag from her grasp and holding it out of reach. "My feelings are so hurt, after all."

"Oh, come on, N!" Vale exclaimed as he shoved another handful into his cheeks. "At least let me have a bit!"

"But my feeeeeelings, Vaaaaaaaale." he whined, extending the syllables in a hilarious manner. Vale let out a huff, and as he turned back to her, she tried to snatch the bag away. Instinctively, he kept his grip on it, resulting in the bag tearing down the center, the cottonee candy to ground.

The both stared at the fallen treat, then at their own pieces of the bag.

"Oh…" heard the sad little noise escape Vale's lips. "I'm sorr-"

"It's fine!" N exclaimed, not wanting such a little incident to ruin the entire night. "Don't be upset! We were playing around and the bag ripped. It's okay. We'll just get more after we look at the stars. I'll even pay."

As he spoke, he stooped down to pick up the fallen remains of the cottonee candy, not wanting a pokémon to eat the now dirty candy. He picked up a particularly nasty piece, with dirt, grass, an pieces of left behind confetti stuck to it. Yeah, no pokémon should eat this.

As he tried to fit all the remains into the bag, his hand suddenly touched something frigid. The cold actually surprised him, causing him to yank his hand back. Glancing at what he had grabbed, thinking somehow a pokémon hand wandered over, he instead saw it was Vale's hand. She to was gathering pieces of the cottonee candy, holding them in her hands, though her expression was odd.

"Something wrong?"

N felt his face suddenly go warm, and he bowed his head as his heart began to pound.

"Your hands are cold." he muttered under his breath. "It surprised me, that's all."

o.0.o.0.o

Black rolled his eyes as he rubbed comforting circles onto Hilda's back. Though the girl was tough as nails, her cast iron stomach must have either rusted or cracked, because she had her head in a random trash bin, everything she had eaten coming up like a demon being exorcised from her body.

"Oh my Arceus, my stomach." Hilda groaned. "F*ck. F*ck, f*ck, f*ck."

"I told you not to eat all that." Black chastised gently. He honestly did feel bad for her. She went and dehydrated herself by filling herself with sugary, salty foods, then decided to go on rides one after another. By the time she got off her third roller coaster, she looked a little green, and Black barely managed to get her head in the trash can before she was throwing up. "Dehydration plus junk food plus thrill rides aren't a good combo."

Hilda groaned out something about a headache. Black rolled his eyes, guiding her over to a bench near the Ferris Wheel.

"Sit here." he gestured to the bench. Hilda didn't hesitate, sprawling out on the bench. Black shrugged off his bag and began digging around through it until he got to his first aide kit. "Say, Hilda, have you ever had dramamine before?"

"I don't take medicine." Hilda snarled between her teeth. "It's expensive. I prefer to tough any pain out!"

"Right." Black rolled his eyes. "So, listen, I can either give you some advil and dramamine to help with the sickness and the headache or you can be sick all night and not get any of that sleep that you love so much."

"I ain't taking anything from you." Hilda rolled over, resting on her side on the bench. "I got my own first aide kit from the hospital, I'll get my own pills if I need them."

"… Riiiiiiight." Black sighed, standing up. "Well, I'll just leave my bag here, then. I'll get you some water."

Hilda cussed something at him while her Eevee popped out of it's pokéball. It curled up next to her, trying to provide comfort as Hilda slowly sat up, digging through her own bag.

In truth, he didn't really care either way if she took medicine from his first aide kit or hers, seeing her sick like this unnerved him. He supposed it was like when a little kid saw their parents get hurt for the first time… That they weren't really invincible after all.

Sharply, Black shook his head. No need to think about his parents, not now.

Getting a simple bottle of water took longer than he thought. The first vending machines were completely out, go figure. The second ate his poké. Now frustrated, and unwilling to waste more time, Black settled on marching back to the food court for a simple cup of water.

Soon, he was carefully carrying the cup back. Apparently, Nimbassa Park didn't provide lids for drinks unless you bought a super special cup that could be refilled… Not even for a stupid cup of water. _But regardless…_

Black did eventually make back to where he had left Hilda… Only to see both their bags abandoned at the bench. Next to her bag was her first aide kit with a small pack of dramamine next to it. One pill was taken from the package, if the broken foil was any indication. Glancing around, he didn't see the pill on the ground or anything. Had Hilda taken it dry?

"Hilda…?" he trailed off, looking around as he tried to spot her ponytail. He did see her being led away by a man with green hair, though she looked tired and a little unsteady on her feet. "Hilda!"

Quickly, the man corralled her into the Ferris Wheel ride. As Black charged forward to stop them, he was blocked as a dozen Team Plasma members swarmed him.

The ride started up before he could even get close.

o.0.o.0.o

As it turns out, Vale was scared of the roller coaster. Maybe not scared, N noted as he held the small memento picture. As they were going up the hill, their talk was amicable and friendly. As the roller coaster stalled briefly over the edge of the hill, Vale had, at the last moment, snatched his right hand in her left hand, then proceeded to scream for the rest of the ride. He himself was laughing in the photo, hands in the air despite holding Vale's hand. She looked rather silly, one hand in the air while the rest of her body was hunched over screaming…

But there were other rides and sights they had enjoyed. Vale really liked the swing carousel and the tilt-a-whirl. N figured she enjoyed the simple, predictable actions of the rides. The rides were gentle and fun. N found he enjoyed the arcade. Though the electronic games were incredibly more complex than the games he was used to, they were games all the same. There was a simple pattern that he had to figure out.

True, he struggled to figure out most of them, until eventually, Vale suggested they not waste all their money here. Regardless of the difficulty, it was fun. They even managed to win a prize! It was a small prize, nothing big or elaborate like the huge plushes that he so admired, but the little Litwick keychain felt right next to his puzzle cube.

Even though they somewhat threw the original plan out the window, N was happy. Exceptionally happy. If he was honest, trying to recall when he last had this much fun was difficult...

But something was odd when he glanced at the picture.

His thumb brushed over Vale's picture, staring closely at her right eye, uncovered. Where were her scars? He was certain he had seen them… Were did they go?

"N," Vale came back to him, holding out an ice-cream cone shaped into the likeness of Vanillite. However, the design of the face was made out of strawberries. "Here you go, something else sweet to balance out the salty stuff we had earlier."

She settled next to him once he took the cone. N stared at the ice cream cone fondly. He… He didn't really think he believed his father about Vale. Tonight was a lot of fun. Vale was a lot of fun. And it was starting to more and more support his hypothesis that Vale could be rehabilitated… at least a little.

He couldn't bring this to his father, not yet. His father was still hurting from Vale's betrayal. But he still had faith; Vale _is_ good. She just strayed off the path.

"All that's left is the ferris wheel." Vale spoke musingly. "We did everything else we planned… But I think I'd be lying if I said I was ready for the night to end."

N felt the same. He wasn't ready for the night to be over...

"… I like Ferris Wheels, Vale." he whispered softly.

"Yeah?"

"I don't really know why. There's something important about them to me. I don't know if it's the clean and simple mechanics or the comforting rotation… Or maybe it's just the combination of it all into a elegant formula."

N lifted his gaze to the Ferris Wheel, bright and beautiful in contrast to the night. Slowly, his gaze trailed down to the people lining up to get on the next round. As he did, his gaze latched onto two familiar faces.

His blood suddenly ran cold.

He knew immediately who Hilda was. His father had warned him about her. He suspected that she was most certainly the hero of truth, destined to oppose his ideals. With her was a boy who always seemed to be hanging around Hilda.

Hilda was a dexholder. Hilda enjoyed the thrill of battle. She directly opposed everything Team Plasma stood for. But even still, she was powerful… And if she was the hero of truth, it meant that she would no doubt be an asset, as she should share similar abilities to him.

"Oh, N!"

N didn't even realize the ice-cream had slipped from his fingers until Vale piped up. He glanced down at food, now nothing more than a splat on the ground. Vale glanced between it and him, a little confused.

"You okay? You've eaten everything so quickly and excitedly…"

"No, I'm fine." N smiled at her, trying to reassure her. "Something caught me by surprise, that's all."

Reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, he pulled out a couple of bills into Vale's hand.

"Here, would you mind getting me another one, Vale?"

"Sure…" she trailed off, glancing at the bills in her hand, then back up at him. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"It's fine." N smiled. "I promise."

Vale slowly nodded, then turned on her heel and walked away. As soon as she was out of earshot, N activated his X-transciever.

"… All knights who are within the vicinity, I am going to confront Hilda White. Your mission objective is to stop her traveling companion from interfering."

o.0.o.0.o

Hilda's head felt foggy. Thankfully, her nausea was gone, but it didn't help that she felt everything was blurry.

" _Hilda! Hilda, wake up!"_

"Ugh… Eevee?" she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She felt really out of it, like holy shit… "F*ck… This is exactly why I don't take medications like that. My body can't handle it… Where are we, even?"

Hilda'd vision finally came into focus, and she saw she was in a small, confined space. Definitely not the bench in the middle of an open park she remembered taking the dramabean or whatever the hell it was called..

"You… You're not Black! What the f*ck?!" she exclaimed, scrambling to the door, only for her to realize she was already way high up. The ferris wheel…?

"I wouldn't open that."

Slowly, Hilda tore her gaze away from the door, staring at the man who had apparently kidnapped her.

" _You."_ she hissed. N was rather calm for the entire situation, fiddling with the puzzle cube that was attached to his hip.

"You could set off an alarm that shuts down the entire ride… And from this high up, you might not walk away without a broken leg. You'd trap dozens of children from their parents, begging for that one last ride. You'd be stuck here longer with me, and certainly neither of us wants that… Hilda."

Hilda scowled, feeling wide awake as she slowly eased herself onto the seat across from him. Glancing out the window, she saw some loitering Team Plasma members, faces wracked with concern while others were struggling to restrain Vale and Black from interfering. N was also watching the scene, face twisting in discomfort as one grunt roughly grabbed Vale's arm.

Hilda kept her gaze on him as he grappled to activate the X-transceiver on his wrist.

"I told you," he muttered harshly into device. "To keep _him_ from interfering."

" _But-"_

Hilda heard the slight response from the device, only for N to harshly cut them off.

"Don't hurt her!"

Hilda's gaze shot back to the ground below. The grunts had immediately distanced themselves from Vale and Black. Both sides grabbed at their pokéballs, preparing for a fight. N's expression seemed wracked with grief when he saw that.

"Why…" he whispered under his breath.

"What's your problem with Vale?" Hilda demanded. "And why did you yank me in here?"

N tore his gaze away from the battle below them, slowly meeting her gaze.

"… When I was little, I was told by my father that I was special. That I would lead a change in the world."

"Yeah, okay, you and every other kid out there. Every parent says there kid is special."

"You know what I mean, Hilda." N met her gaze firmly. "You and I aren't that different."

"Like hell we-"

"You understand them, just like me." N whispered. "I know that you can."

"Yeah, I can understand pokémon." Hilda admitted, glaring at him as she took Eevee into her arms. "But don't think that makes us the same."

"Not many people in this world are born with the gift you and I share. However, our ability is rooted deeply into the legend of Unova. Of ideals… and of truth. I'm sure there's an ability you have outside of being able to understand pokémon."

"… What can you do, then?" Hilda demanded. "Outside of speaking to pokémon."

"I strive for ideals. I live for them." N met her gaze. "I know exactly how to bring out the perfection in everyone. And I… I have visions."

 _Great,_ was Hilda's immediate thought. She was stuck in an inclosed space with a loon who apparently had visions. Was he nuts? Hilda wasn't really sure anymore, because she was so willing to admit that he _was_ when she first battled him, what with him talking nonsense and waving his hands around like a looney.

"When I sleep, I get visions that lead me in the direction of the most ideal life. Long ago, I had a terrifying nightmare and realized the ideal life for pokémon is a life away from humans, where they can fully blossom into the wonderful beings that they are and are meant to be. Naturally, am I to far off in hypothesizing that you, to, have an ability, Hilda?"

"We're not the same." Hilda repeated herself. "You're f*cking nuts if you think that we are."

"I never said we were the same." N glanced down at his cube again, fiddling with it. "I know that. Because our coexisting lives means that we will ultimately clash. Just like the twin heroes so many years ago."

"Oh, please," Hilda snorted, crossing her arms. "I'm no more a hero than that asswipe, Black, down there is a prince. I just do what I think is right."

His fingers slowly stopped playing with the cube at that. As if ignoring what she said, he continued speaking where he left off.

"… It's because of those abilities that I must tell you who you're facing if you continue to stand against me." Slowly, he lifted his gaze, his eyes cold and face twisted into bitter distaste. Not quite hatred, but enough for Hilda to get the sense that N wasn't fond of her. "My name is Natural Harmonia. I am the king of Team Plasma."

That one actually sent Hilda reeling for a second. With the way Ghetsis held himself, she was certain _he_ was the leader, or that the so-called 'king' of Team Plasma was a man stronger or more vile than him. But no. Standing before her was N, an awkward, lanky man with zero social skills with people.

But he wasn't lying. It was hard for her to doubt N, his eyes were always honest and sincere… Like a kids. It didn't mean she had to like him, but N was genuine when he spoke… Even if he was talking crazy.

"My father… Ghetsis told me that it was my duty to make the world an ideal place to live for pokémon." N's gaze drifted out the window. "… And that is all I've wanted for so long, was for pokémon to be happy, without humans hurting them."

 _"My… You are quite difficult to figure out, aren't you? You see, your father and our king are not like that. Not so difficult… Not so intelligent. You, on the other hand, are a bit more intelligent than I'd expected…"_

That line clawed up from the depths of her memory like a swoobat out of hell. She stared harshly at N, mouth gaping as she struggled to coherently form together a sentence.

Ghetsis doesn't hold N to a high esteem at all. He said it himself, N wasn't difficult, wasn't intelligent.

Hilda briefly wondered what that meant in comparison to her. With the way that N spoke about formula's and with his flowery language, he sounded a hell of a lot more intelligent than her. Maybe… Ghetsis was referencing naivety? Innocence? Social skills? Though N had the body of an eighteen-year-old man, he had all the sense of a little kid. Was _that_ what Ghetsis had meant?

"But now, I'm wondering if my ideal world is starting to change." N was staring down at the battle between Vale and the grunts. Hilda could feel her head going a mile a minute. At the beginning of her journey, Vale seemed familiar with N, didn't she?

 _"What I said is meaningless, Vale! I have no need for a traitor such as yourself!"_

What the hell… What the hell was going on?! Vale… a traitor… Was she a former Plasma member? Did she work with N? _With Ghetsis?!_

 _I always thought Vale was a little off, but it wasn't, like, Black levels of off. When N said that, I didn't know he was the Arceus-damned leader of Team Plasma!_

"What the hell is your connection to Vale?"

"… Vale is my friend." N whispered softly under his breath. "And I've decided… That she will also be a part of my ideal world. But I've found that I've been entangled in an impossible formula… In order to have Vale in my world, I need to eliminate the people clouding her mind with lies about my organization. I need to eliminate the doubts my people have of her within Team Plasma. I need to remove so many things from this formula in order to get the ideal answer. But… why do I feel like simply _removing_ the threats would make her sad?"

As he spoke, he sounded conflicted. Hell, he looked like he was going to start crying at any moment. Slowly, however, as if he was giving himself an inner pep talk, he looked up. His gaze was harsh, meeting hers

"You dexholders… All of you are the largest threats to Team Plasma's utopia… To Vale's happiness."

"How the f*ck would you know what makes her happy?!" Hilda demanded. "You don't know jack shit about Vale or about pokémon or about utopia's or anything!"

"That's not true!" N suddenly stood, but stood to fast, causing the cart to shake, his head slamming into the roof. He let out a low whine of pain, falling back into his seat. He was gripping his head, though Hilda wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that he was in pain from slamming his head or if he was just unwilling to face her words. "Don't tell me lies, it's not true. I _do_ know what the ideal world should and will look like!"

"You aren't even listening to what pokémon want!" Hilda snapped back. "You talk about the ideal world of pokémon being the happiest place for them, but what about the pokémon who need humans?! The pokémon that like to battle?! The humans who rely on pokémon to help them?! And the pokémon who happily do so?! What about them? What about _their_ happiness?!"

"No… No… No… Humans only hurt… Pokémon can't… Stop, stop…!"

N was talking so fast that Hilda could only pick up snippets of what he was saying. None of it made sense to her at all, but N was shaking, hands digging into his head as he spoke.

"You're going against the very doctrine of Team Plasma, you asshole!"

"Be quiet!" N suddenly snapped, his voice laced with sorrow and confusion. "Shut up! Shut up! You know nothing! Nothing at all!"

He snapped his gaze up, filled with frustration, sorrow, and confusion.

"I've spoken to them! I know Vale! You don't know anything!"

"You're wrong." Hilda spat back. "I know the truth. And the truth is that Team Plasma is _wrong."_

"It's not. We're not. _I'm_ not." N shook his head again. "I refuse to believe that coming from someone who traps pokémon for… for research! Simply to be studied! Coming from someone who has seniors named Strategizer, Trainer, Helper, Catcher, Breeder, Evolver… Those titles aren't because of their talents, it's because they exploited their pokémon!"

"Uh-huh. So Lyra the Treasurer, who's talent is derived from treasuring life, and Dayna's talent, Healer, is derived from healing the sick…" Hilda glared at N. "Leaf the Strategizer, a woman who created strategies so her pokémon wouldn't get hurt. Gary the Trainer, a man who trained his pokémon so they could defend themselves against any threat. Fire the Helper, who specifically works with his pokémon to help those in need. Crystal the Catcher, who catches pokémon so humans can understand and learn more about them. Ethan the Breeder, who breeds pokémon in safe environments to ensure the babies safety, Silver, the Evolver, who works to unlock pokémons true strength…"

She stood and jammed her finger into N's chest.

"They have those talents because not all people are like you and me! Humans don't understand pokémon completely, so we need to study and understand them so we have a better grasp on how to interact and care for them! So that's why I'll never let you or Team Plasma manipulate me! I won't give up my pokédex! I won't let your stupid organization hurt anyone I care about, including Vale!"

"… I would never hurt Vale." N whispered harshly under his breath, as if offended that she would make such an accusation. "Team Plasma would never hurt anyone."

Again, Hilda was thrown for a loop. Was N just _dense?_ Did he not know what the _hell_ was going on in Unova?

But again, N's eyes were completely truthful. He looked offended, but he was telling the truth.

His fists were clenched tightly.

"I knew that we would never see eye to eye when this began. But I thought that if I opened up to you, that maybe we could come to peace. It seems not."

"Like hell we will!" Hilda hissed back. "I'll fight you, Ghetsis, grunts, whatever you throw at me until the bitter end, you understand me?! I'll prove you wrong!"

"… I'm going to defeat the pillar of power here in Unova." N spoke firmly. He stood, placing his hands in his pockets. In the process, he pushed the edge of his shirt up, revealing a string of four badges, similar to her own. "You're quite strong, Hilda. But I have a future that I must change. And, for that future... I'll defeat the Champion and become unbeatable, unlike any other! I'll make all trainers free their pokémon! Just try and stop me!"

His gaze again turned harsh as he turned back to her. Hilda met his gaze with an equally harsh glare.

"… If you want to get to Vale or any of the dexholders, you'll have to go through me." she spoke. "I'm also on a quest to become Champion… stamping you and your awful organization into the ground will simply be an added bonus."

"And you claim to have no desire to be a hero?" N asked her.

"None at all." Hilda confirmed. "I'm not a hero. I'm an impulsive ass who doesn't like it when shit doesn't goes her way."

"Fine, then." N's tone turned to ice as he stared down at her. "If your conviction is not strong enough… if you do not listen to your pokémon, you will never be able to defeat me. I will form the ideal world… whether you like it or not."

The ferris wheel door opened. N made a move to step out.

"Then I'll fight to show you the truth!" Hilda snapped at his back. "Ideals are nice and all, but no ideal can hold up to what's truly there, N."

"This formula just keeps becoming more complex, doesn't it? I wonder how you fit into this equation…" N trailed off, pausing at the doorway. "… Stay away from Vale, Hilda. Keep the other dexholders away, too."

"Try and stop me." Hilda hissed back.

N didn't even bother to look back. Instead, he placed his hands in his pockets and left the Ferris Wheel.

o.0.o.0.o

Silver felt exhausted. Even before he met Lyra he was never much a fan of overly crowded places. All around him kids were screaming, parents were yelling, couples were being obnoxiously adorable, and he all in all hated it.

Not to mention, he found out he got severe motion sickness on rides that spin fast. One round of the Music Express, blasting an annoying pop song, no less, sent his stomach reeling. He didn't know if it was because of the music or the motion, but nonetheless, he spent about an hour of the afternoon with his head in a bag and Lyra profusely apologizing to him.

Somewhere along the way, they had gotten separated from Cheren and Bianca. He would admit that he was a bit worried about that, considering what had happened in Castelia. But regardless, he figured Cheren had a good enough head on his shoulders. Not to mention, he had way to much pride to be sick in front of his juniors. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that they got separated… After all, he was supposed to be the big, bad Silver, the Evolver of the dexholders, uncontested force of strength within Johto.

"How are you feeling?" Lyra asked, rubbing gentle circles on his back as he let his hair hang in his face. He had long since ripped the hair tie away. Though he was slowly getting used to it, he was in enough discomfort. A slight tug from the band had become to much and he refused to put up with it.

"A little better." he spoke slowly. His head ached slightly and his throat was dry… Truthfully, he just wanted to go back to bed.

"I didn't realize you didn't handle rides well…"

"It's fine. I didn't know either." Silver slowly lifting his head, hoping to ease Lyra's worries. "It's not like I've ever been to one of these places before."

Lyra's brows furrowed, the look of concern only growing.

"That's a terrible joke." she spoke softly. "You shouldn't have pushed yourself just because I was having fun. I wanted you to have fun too…"

Silver let out a low sigh. He felt as if he should have known better, but he hadn't expected Lyra to assume or even catch onto that notion. She was optimistic and gullible, he expected his cover of 'feeling fine' to go over well until he found himself puking in a trash bin.

"I was having fun." he attempted to lie. "The haunted house was fun. And I enjoyed the roller coasters."

"You hated it." Lyra confirmed. "I could name so many things you disliked about this place that I'd two new sets of hands to count them all on my fingers."

"Yeah, but _you_ were having fun. That's all that matters."

"But you deserve to have fun too!" Lyra exclaimed. "You may not think it matters but it matters to me! That's why I used to drag you around to all those interesting places when we first met… And I know you only put up with it because it's me..."

"Yeah. So? You should feel special." Silver rolled his eyes. "If it was anyone else I rightly would have ignored them. It's not like _you_ exactly had it easy either."

"No… But still." Lyra clenched her fists. "I know why we're here, Silver. I know it's not just for the sights and the attractions. But… _if_ we do manage to take Mask…. er, Ghetsis down… Well, things aren't going to be easy. Things haven't been easy since we've become dexholders, officially and all… But even still, it'll be worse once this is all over. Things especially haven't been easy for you."

Gently, she reached out and gripped his hand.

"I didn't mean for you to get sick or anything. I just want you to have fun because I know it's hard… I want to make it less hard for you."

"It's fine." Silver shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault."

"...I know it's not about fun and games." Lyra whispered. "I just…"

"Don't blame yourself." Silver spoke more firmly, standing while still holding her hand, successfully yanking her up with him. "I get motion sick on rides. It's not your fault."

"Silver…"

"If it makes you feel better, I'll find one thing that I would like to do here in Unova before we take down Ghetsis."

"Oh! Yes of course!" Lyra grinned, latching her arms around his neck, lips puckered slightly. Immediately, Silver blocked the would-be kiss with his hand.

"Not smart, Lyra. I just spent the last half hour puking into a garbage bin and then a garbage bag."

Lyra's nose crinkled slightly.

"Ew."

Silver rolled his eyes, as if it weren't obvious that maybe kissing someone who had just puked was a bad idea. But whatever, that was Lyra. Quick to get caught in emotion, she was always like that since the day he met her.

"Anyways, I think I'm ready to go to bed." Silver sighed, rolling his shoulders slightly as the continued from the out of the way bench that they were staked out on. It was a rather out of the way little spot, stationed next to the exit of a roller-coaster. "Today was… exhausting, to say the least."

"Even I have to agree with that." Lyra yawned at the end of that word. "I think I'm going to contact our juniors first, okay? Tell them we're going back."

"You do that." Silver said, allowing Lyra to wander a little bit away as he stood next to one of the stands.

Absentmindedly, his gaze drifted back to the booth he was standing at. It was for the roller coaster stationed behind it, with the exit ramp a little adjacent to it. The ride was pretty quiet now. The main attraction was the pictures that were taken on the roller coaster, but since it became dark, the attraction was somewhat forgotten for more fun rides due to "no one apparently wanting a picture with huge floodlights shining on them", if the person running the booth was anything to go off of.

Now, it was cycling through various photos throughout the day, for advertising purposes.

He wasn't really sure if it was in any random order, and he just kept flicking over the pictures. Screaming couples, families laughing, children with their hands in the air while some people looked a little sick…

Then he saw it.

Silver rushed to the booth and stared at the photo he just saw, but it was gone as briefly as it was there.

"Hey, you," he turned to the cashier, a young girl who looked bored and was playing games on her phone. "I need to see that picture again."

The girl snapped her gum and waved at the monitors.

"They'll cycle through again."

Silver ground his teeth, having a feeling that she could pull up the picture he wanted, but he stared and waited. Finally, the gritty picture showed up again, confirming what Silver had seen before.

"Vale…" he whispered under his breath.

" _Attention all park guests. Due to some circumstances, we are unfortunately shutting down Nimbassa Park early. To apologize for the early closing, we will be rewarding all park guests with a free, one-day ride pass. Apologies and thank you for your continued patronage."_

The announcement was barely registered in Silver's mind. Vale was holding hands with a green-haired man that he didn't quite recognize. Their intertwined hands were in the air and while the man was laughing, Vale was shrieking in terror. Her hair was off her face due to the wind. But even still, Silver knew that face. He would never forget her face, not ever.

Her face was the last thing he saw when he escaped Mask's compound as a child.

Her face was the last thing he saw before the compound sank to a watery grace.

Vale's expression… He'd never forget how resigned she sounded, how easily it was for her to cut ties and let go.

But was it really her? Maybe it was as Lyra said, every girl with black hair that he saw, he would mistake for Vale. He dared to look at the picture again, focusing on a her right eye. Right there confirmed it.

He remembered it like yesterday, that small little detail. It was a small birthmark, no bigger than a drop of paint, right on her cheekbone adjacent to her right eye.

 _He would never forget Vale._

Slowly, he backed away as the picture faded from the screen.

Vale was alive. Alive and hanging around with… with who? Who was that guy with the long green hair? Green hair… Green hair… Ghetsis had green hair… Didn't he mention a son in Castelia?

 _Would it really be so easy…? A pure coincidence…?_

"Hey, Silver, I was gonna get in contact with everyone, telling them we were leaving but it turns out the park is closing early! Isn't that-" Lyra cut herself off as she approached him. Silver didn't meet her gaze, his mind going a mile a minute. "Silver?"

He flinched when she put a hand on her shoulder. Glancing down, her face was sad with concern.

"Are you dizzy? Is your headache and stomach okay? You're pale…"

"I'm fine." Silver forced himself to say as he stood. "Let's get back, okay?"

"Alright, Silver…"

Maybe it was his tone that made Lyra decide to not push further. Silver's mind was going rapidly, trying to connect all the dots in his head. Finally, as they left the amusement park, he settled on an all-to-familiar facet for this shock.

Rage.

If that green haired man was Ghetsis's son, then no doubt they were trying to drag Vale back in. Vale was willing to kill herself to leave, she would never go back willingly. And even if he isn't he had information on Vale. He knows where to find her, how to find her…

Vale's alive… She's alive…!

That man… That green-haired man… He knows something.

They were holding hands. Vale was never a person who was open to being touched or embraced, she wouldn't hold hands with a simple stranger.

He glanced at Lyra, still holding his hand but remaining quiet, possibly to give him some peace. She glanced up at him and smiled.

 _Lyra can't know about this._

Silver knew what he saw, _who_ he saw, in that picture. If he told Lyra, she would just try to convince him that he was wrong. If he told Lyra, it might cast more attention onto her from Ghetsis, way more than there already was. Was he crazy? Was he wrong? Filling in blanks where he feels Vale could be? He very well could be wrong, of course… After all, his mind might be playing tricks…

But he wouldn't know for sure until he found that green-haired man and forced some answers out of him.

o.0.o.0.o

 **Some Vale and N fluff as well as some Silver and Lyra fluff for a late Valentines present. Also, is it possible to write your own characters out of character? IDK, I had fun writing Vale and N fluff but it felt… I dunno.**

 **Give me feedback on the fluff. Even though I adore romance I'm insecure about some of the stuff I write. I wanna know if I'm getting better.**

 **Also, I noticed a lot of you were like "Oh, the Ferris Wheel scene is going to be Vale x N now". Lol, nope! Even if it's not Ferriswheelshipping vibes, literally just them reaffirming they are enemies… It's still Hilda and N!**

 **Also, two updates in less than three weeks. Aren't y'all proud of me?**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


	31. Revelation

**So I hit a wall with this fic. Like I always set a goal for a certain scene and then when I hit it… I don't know what to write next! However, I'm going to try, as I realize I've got quite a bit of plot points that need to be tied up!**

 **Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Vale, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, and the Bennet family.**

o.0.o.0.o

 _The Adventure Saga_

 _The Truth Behind Us_

o.0.o.0.o

 _Date Start: June 2nd, X017_

 _Current Date: September 25th, X017_

The flight back to Castelia was rather short on Lyra's Dragonite.

Even though Lyra slept soundly, Silver couldn't rest, knowing what he did about Vale. So in the morning, he convinced Lyra to lend him her Dragonite while she stayed behind with her soon to be juniors. Even if he wanted to keep this revelation from her, he knew that it was only right that he updated Sara and Looker. It was simply the give and take of working with the police.

Even if he wanted to keep the impact of this as limited as possible, and Sara was just some random hero and not an officer, Silver wasn't heartless. Sara dedicated her life to finding her friend. Silver only knew Vale after Ghetsis had taken her, but Sara… Sara knew what she was like, what her life was like, before all of this.

As he circled the city, trying to find the office that Looker had rented as a base of operations, he couldn't help but notice how… normal everything looked. To him, it still felt like yesterday that the Plasma logo was plastered all over the city, people trapped with no way to escape. Yet below him, everything seemed normal. People were rushing to work, tourists were pointing here and there, lights were flashing…

It was almost like people bounced back all to quickly from it. In Johto, some parts of the country just barely recovered from Team Rockets revival and the Masked Rockets causing chaos with the legendaries. Ghetsis clearly wasn't playing games here… It made Silver worry. Would Unova bounce back just as quickly…?

Finally locating the building, he decided to land in the park and then walk the rest of the way, not wanting to drag anymore attention to himself by landing a huge foreign pokémon in the middle of the street.

By the time he found the rental space, he honestly hesitated. Lyra was always way more emotionally able to break good or bad new to people. He wasn't sure how he would handle Sara's reaction… So he figured that was what Looker was for.

Finally walking inside, he asked the receptionist for the Blitz Bureau.

"I'm sorry." the receptionist shook her head. "But the residents of the Blitz Bureau instructed that I not allow walk in appointments of any kind, unless invited."

Silver narrowed his gaze, about to open his mouth to snap something about calling Sara or Looker, when a hand clapped on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about him, he's fine. His name is Silver…" Gray trailed off, glancing at him.

"… Osaka." The name wasn't exactly a lie, it was the name he had on his trainers license. He didn't want any connection to his fathers last name and bearing the assumed name was the easiest way to get around it.

"Right, Silver Osaka. Add him to the list, won't you?"

Silver recognized Gray, quickly shrugging off his shoulder as the receptionist widened her eyes. She looked contemplative, as if unsure she should really do that, but in the end, she nodded and reluctantly agreed. Gray grinned, cheerfully thanking the receptionist and leading him toward the elevator.

"Surprised she didn't recognize you." Gray laughed as the elevator doors shut. "Aren't you dexholders a big huge deal?"

"Yes. but I don't exactly look and dress like I did in Johto. Plus once dexholders become a big thing, it becomes a… _trend_ to dress like we did."

"Oh, don't I know about that!" Gray shuddered. "Do you know how many green-eyed brunettes I saw in Kanto after Leaf got big? _Yow,_ it was creepy."

"… Not to mention," Silver continued. "It's easier to blend into a crowd here in Unova than in Johto or Kanto. Hair like mine isn't exactly common in Johto."

"That's what was always nice about Unova." Gray grinned at him. "It's always been a nice mix of different people. I'm sure if you went to Sinnoh or Kalos, where stardom is idolized, you might not have it as easy."

"Is Blitz and Looker both in?" Silver asked, deciding to change the subject so that he _wasn't_ the subject anymore.

"Yep. Sar- er, Blitz has been working hard at that electronic map you gave her the other day. Well, as hard as she can when she hasn't the slightest clue what she's doing." Gray let out another laugh. "Poor girl. She stormed off when the computer started buffering on her. I think Looker got in touch with someone in Johto, so I think it'll be fine, but I dunno…"

Silver let out a low sigh of relief. If Krystal was handling to the town map then at least he knew it was on her top list of priorities. Since becoming something of an apprentice to Looker and Sara, she always put any tasks they had for her first and foremost. He wondered how far along she was on figuring that map out… Figuring Black out.

"How's Hilda doing?"

"She won her fourth badge." Silver glanced at Gray out of the corner of his eye. "Got into a small scuffle with Team Plasma at the amusement park, if Black's word is anything to go off of. She seemed pretty pissed and told me something… interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yeah. You'll find out once with Sara and Looker."

"Gotcha." Gray grinned at him, then going back to playing with the Elektrick that seemed to have made himself a home on Gray's neck.

It was only a minute longer that they were in the elevator, exiting into the floor of Sara and Looker's home base, only for them to be met with a screaming match.

"Of all things, Blitz! You're going to destroy your lungs if you keep this up! We worked so hard to ween you off them and I find that you've hidden almost six used packs in the trash?!"

"You don't know anything Looker! I'm an adult, I can do what I want!"

"Did you really think I was so stupid? That I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Well, I've been doing it behind your back for years and you didn't notice a thing."

"Sara, this is possibly the most immature argument we've ever had!"

"Don't pull out the real name card on me, Mr. We-can-only-use-code-names! Because I can do it to-"

"Heyoooooo!" Gray grinned walking into the living room of the apartment with a goofy grin on his face.

Silver followed behind him, and saw Looker holding a box of cigarettes in one hand while Sara stood fuming next to him, red in the face from the argument. Looker had a brief expression of disappointment, which he quickly masked as to be professional. The concern in his eyes, however, seemed to linger… And Silver noticed a few fine, gray hairs sticking out here and there. Sara looked a little worse for wear, like she's barely slept. Her skin was a little paler since he saw her last, and Silver immediately took notice of how she seemed to have lost weight as well. He decided to keep his mouth shut, however, as the atmosphere was already thick and heavy.

"… I didn't expect you to be back so soon, Gray." Looker commented absentmindedly, tucking the cigarettes into his pockets and stepping forward. "Usually you're gone hours at a time. I didn't think that you'd be back just after you left."

"Yeah, well, as I walked out the door, our buddy here walked in so I thought I'd give him a hand." Gray grinned. "That receptionist is pretty top-notch. Wouldn't even listen to Silver!"

"Well, that's to be expected." Looker cleared his throat. "She knows we are police agents and understands that our mission is of national security. Surely the head of the department is paying good money to keep her quiet."

Sara hadn't said a word, but she seemed embarrassed. Probably still recovering from the fight that she had with Looker earlier. _That_ in particular made Silver slightly uneasy. It would be like walking into a fight between Lyra and Krystal. Both pairs were thick as thieves, and Silver would be lying if he said he _wasn't_ concerned about that. Sara and Looker simply _didn't argue._

Couple that with Sara's exhausted appearance and the obvious concern Looker was showing, Silver was beginning to wonder if the case was taking a toll on the duo.

"Sara, do you mind sitting down?" Sara quirked an eyebrow, but slowly sat down. Silver didn't say a word, unfolding the picture he had gotten at the amusement park and sliding it across the table. Sara glanced up at him, then picked up the picture.

Her jaw dropped. Slowly, she rose from her seat.

"Blitz?" Looker asked.

Sara was silent. She closed her mouth, then opened it again. Tears began to well around her eyes. Slowly, she sat down, and turned her gaze away, sliding the picture to Looker. He glanced down at it.

"By Arceus…" he whispered under his breath. "Sara, is this… Is this Vale?"

Mutely, Sara nodded.

"Vale?" Gray echoed. "Hey, I know someone named Vale! Not a common name, you know?"

"Talk!" Looker's hands suddenly slammed onto the table as he stood. "Where did you see her last? What was she doing? Was she sane? What did she look like?"

"Um, okay." Gray put his hands up in surrender, hoping to calm him down. "She was fighting the Gothitelle that was putting the barrier around the city with me. She helped Iris out when I left to save my daughter. She seemed pretty sane, if not really serious and anxious. She told me not to tell anyone anyone about her but I don't think you lot are gonna let me get away with my secrets."

"Damn straight we won't." Silver muttered.

"Anyways, she was pretty striking if you ask me. Super tall for a girl, about five eleven, if I had to guess. Black hair that fell past her shoulders, _really_ bright blue eyes…" Gray glanced at the picture, his eyes flying wide open. "Holy hell, is that the Harmonia boy?!"

"Harmonia boy?" Looker echoed. Gray was pale as a sheet, hunched over the table as he stared at the photo.

"The crazy son of a bitch actually did it." he whispered under his breath. "I thought he was bluffing in Castelia, but he actually…"

"What do you know," Sara's voice had a watery edge to it, though she refused to meet their gaze. "About Ghetsis?"

Gray was quiet.

"… A long time ago, he was my friend, or so I thought." Gray muttered. "He was a scientist, and his specialty was studying people with special abilities. Unique abilities. Considering my family name and my own abilities, of course I was interested in helping him. So we would travel the world looking for children who were special like me… And then we stumbled across the Harmonia boy."

"How did you find him?" Looker asked.

"We studied family trees." Gray spoke. "Eventually we traced the Harmonia line to Hoenn, and we found him-"

"His name was Nathanial, wasn't it?" Sara asked. "Nathanial Mitsuru."

"That's right." Gray responded. "His mother was on the Harmonia side and married into the Mitsuru name. He was only a baby when I first met him. His mom and I had a good laugh of being long lost ancestors and I thought that was the end of it, but then… he changed. Ghetsis went crazy, and started talking about bringing back the twin heroes. About how I needed to have a kid and we needed to obtain Nathanial at all costs no matter what. I laughed it off at first, but then I realized that Lisa was pregnant with Hilda. So I broke away from Ghetsis to set up Hilda and Lisa in Nuvema, then ran around hoping to get him off Hilda's scent. I checked on the Harmonia boy once in a while, and when he was two, he was still with his mother, so I thought all would be well. But then… He mentioned the Harmonia name now."

Gray looked away.

"I thought he was crazy. I didn't think he was crazy enough to actually go and take the boy…"

"Ghetsis is crazier than you think." Silver spoke clearly, roughly meeting Gray's gaze. "He's kidnapped plenty of children in order to build up his organization."

"He kidnapped more?!" Gray looked horrified. "No… That can't be right…"

"This is true." Looker crossed his arms, sliding the picture across the table. He tapped on Vale for emphasis. "This girl here, Vale. Her real name is Felicity Ray, and she was kidnapped from Slateport, Hoenn."

"No one knows when or how." Sara whispered. "No one even noticed until I begged my father to take me to Slateport to look. She never showed up for our playdate, and when we got there, she was gone."

"Her parents didn't report her?"

"She doesn't have parents." Looker crossed his arms. "A common trope, actually. Most all of his victims either have record of being in foster care, orphanages, or no record at all before Ghetsis yanked them into his ranks."

"Most of them were grateful to Ghetsis. Claimed him a hero." Silver spat in disgust. "Just like with Nathaniel or Natural or whatever his name is! Said that he's good and that he wants to help people, help pokémon… They don't even know they're victims of his."

"There were only two that he claimed responsibility for that don't fit the criteria." Looker continued. "This being Nathanial… And you, Silver."

"You're one of them to?!" Gray exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table as he roughly stood, chair clattering back. Silver simply nodded.

"Krystal told me why she thought I was taken." Silver met Sara and Looker. "Whether or not my father knew of my existence, it doesn't matter. I was just a pawn in his plans in the end."

"Your father?" Gray echoed. "Who's your father?"

Silver was quiet for a moment.

"Giovanni."

"The mob boss?!" Gray exclaimed. "The one who created Mewtwo?!"

"The very one." Silver nodded once. "At first, I thought that he didn't want anything to do with me at all, but I've come to understand that my mother may have left the organization before he even realized I existed. Ghetsis, however, seemed to be two steps ahead of my father. I'm guessing his little spies were keeping an eye on me then. Took me when I was a little kid and tried to ransom me. For what, I don't know. This is all speculation. My father was rich, powerful, influential, and had information far beyond the public reach. Ghetsis could have wanted any of it for his own benefit."

"And the others." Gray muttered. "You mentioned others… How many others?"

"A total eight, including Silver, Nathaniel, and Vale." Sara muttered. "Three boys, possibly triplets. Ichiro, Jiro, and Saburo."

"Trained and deadly fighters." Silver continued. "They are absolutely loyal to Ghetsis, unshakeable and follow his every order without hesitation."

"Then two girls, Anthea and Concordia."

"I don't know anything about them." Silver muttered. "Rumor has it they were supposed to be caregivers for 'someone else', but I don't know who. I wouldn't say it's to far a stretch to say it's for Nathaniel."

"And then… Vale." Sara muttered. "His force of destruction."

"Force… Of destruction…?" Gray echoed, slowly sitting back down.

"Just as it says." Silver crossed his arms. "Vale… this persona that Ghetsis crafted for her, was created to destroy. I've fought her. Vale has the capacity to truly be terrifying, if pushed far enough. She's smart enough to know when she's beat, so she'll resort to underhanded tactics to force people into submission. She beat the dexholders down with surprise attacks and quick punches to submit them to her, then she fought me, using her pokémon and her fists."

Silver clenched his arm, averting his gaze.

"She completely shattered this arm." Silver muttered. "She couldn't be stopped. Wouldn't stop until Ghetsis told her to. I don't have a single doubt in my mind that, if Ghetsis ordered it, she would have killed me instantly."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

"… It's hard to believe a girl with eyes could be hiding something like that." Gray whispered to himself, taking the picture and turning it over, as if he couldn't bear to look at it any longer.

"Did she seem… sane?" Sara asked, imploring. "She… she tried to die. Ghetsis flooded the base and she chose to stay, trying to drown herself. I don't know how she survived, but maybe she doesn't even remember what has happened…"

"I wouldn't say that." Gray muttered. "She seemed coherent and knew what was going on. She seems to understand that someone was after her, because she didn't want me to speak her name afterwards."

"So that means one of two things," Looker, crossed his arms, sitting back. "Vale either is aware of your presence, Silver, or of our presence. People who knew her in the past. People who could pull apart the lie that she was dead. Or… Ghetsis knows she's alive. And she understandably wants to avoid him at all cost."

"But if that were the case, why would she maintain her original appearance?" Silver asked. "It's not like Vale is naive, she could easily change how she looked outside of cutting off a ton of hair."

"So then she _wants_ someone to recognize her?" Gray asked, scratching his head. "This is all so confusing…"

"I'm thinking," Silver muttered, taking the picture and turning it back over. "She's aiming for him."

"The Harmonia boy?" Gray cocked his head. " _Why?"_

"I don't _know."_ Silver ground out. "But I knew her. She's not the type to let loose around just anyone like this. She never drops her guard. So she has some sort of connection to N, but I just don't know what it is or why she would want anything to do with him."

"Again, there's hundreds of possibilities." Looker sighed. "She could be trying to kill him, or save him. She may want to because she pities him, or she knows how important he is to Ghetsis.

"… But even still…" Gray took his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "My daughter wouldn't be hanging around her or allowing her friends to be hanging around her if she was a threat, past or not."

"Hilda knew about this?!" Sara exclaimed, now her turn to slam her hands on the table in shock.

"Now, now, Blitz. Keep your wits about you." Looker chastised gently. "How likely would it be that they even knew Vale's past, let alone that she was your long lost friend presumed dead? As far at they know, Vale is just an ordinary trainer who is visiting Unova. No one of interest and certainly not one that is worth mentioning to international police."

A heavy silence fell over the group as they mulled over his development.

"Anyways, fantastic discovery, Silver." Looker met his gaze with the compliment. "Blitz and I will look into this immediately. Moving on, since you're here…"

Looker's gaze trailed to Sara, who stood.

"Krystal got back to us about that map you sent us." Sara finally spoke, exiting the room. Silver heard her rummaging around before she came back with a laptop. "So I have a question… Where did you get it?"

"Hilda got it at the beginning of her journey. She's suspicious of who gave it to her, and admittedly, I am to." Silver pulled out a chair as Sara passed the laptop to Looker, who immediately logged on. Gray, having heard his daughters name, also perked up, curiously trying to peek at the laptop.

"Well, about that," Looker spoke, glancing at Silver. "Krystal didn't make much sense of the data she got back to us, but I did."

Turning the computer to him, Silver saw an elaborate looking map of Unova, with a path tracked in red. Next to that were several bars of what looked like audio files.

"This is an extremely high-functioning tracking device that was created by the International Protection Agency." Looker explained.

"It's a branch of the police department, the branch we're in, actually." Sara elaborated slightly. "Basically, it's a catch all. Our agency works at protecting the stability of civilians, which allows us to work internationally to chase villains."

"When I started the police force, it was mid-production." Looker explained. "Originally, it was supposed to be mass-distributed so the technology was implemented in all electronic maps, in order to help the missing person's division."

"I'm guessing this was in response to the kidnappings?" Silver asked.

"It was." Looker folded his hands. "Internationally, the police were horrified that this was happening to children, with no trace. Not to mention beforehand, there were unsolved cases of missing trainers. We were trying to develop technology to at least lesson the trainers going missing in the upcoming decade, but then a new department head took over and shut down the project, instead instilling the new program."

"The DNA records." Silver muttered.

"Correct." Looker nodded. "In fact, he cut quite a bit of funding from other parts of the departments, cancelling several projects."

"No one's really sure where the money got funneled to, but rumor among us rookies was that it was going towards the training of elite agents." Sara spoke. "So who's the mysterious benefactor?"

"This guy, Black." Silver answered. "From what I understand from Hilda, he gave them the maps and was interested in the pokédex. The only reason Hilda thinks he's still around is because they have some sort of bet going on."

"I think I met Black. He was the one I caught with Genesect, right?" Gray grinned. "Seemed pretty cool, throwing himself off a building to save my daughter."

"… You do realize these are suspicious circumstances, correct?" Silver asked.

"Oh, I know." Gray smirked, crossing his arms. "Just because he comes across as cool doesn't mean he necessarily is."

"So what would this boy be doing with maps like this?" Sara murmured. "Black, you said his name was?"

"You know him?"

"I don't know." Sara shook her head. "Black… That name, Black. Looker…"

"It's classified information," Looker folded his hands. "But I don't know if it would make much sense otherwise for him to have technology like this."

"What do you mean?"

"We're not here by ourselves." Looker answered simply. "There's an agent here that we report to, and that agent, in turn, reports to the head of the International Police."

"You two answer to someone?" Gray echoed. "Really? Judging by your stories, you seem to have a lot of freedom."

"Everyone has a boss they have to report to." Sara crossed her arms. "Technically, I'm supposed to report to Looker, and Looker is supposed to report to this agent, Pitch."

"Pitch Black, to be precise." Looker corrected. A temple suddenly began to throb on Looker head. "However, he is all in all a brat. He refuses to speak to me and will only speak to Blitz! It's so frustrating!"

"It's not like he likes talking to me either." Sara shrugged. "He'll hang up and sometimes not even answer when I try to call him."

"… You're meaning to tell me that _prick_ is your boss?" Silver demanded.

"Prick?" Sara echoed.

"He's got this bet going on with Hilda." Silver crossed his arms. "Basically, he's trying to get her to fall for him, and if he can do it in less than three hundred days, she's got to travel with him. If she wins, she gets a huge amount of money that they apparently wracked up where he works."

"I'm sorry, but _WHAT."_ Gray demanded.

"Be quiet!" Silver snapped at the man. "Your daughter is old enough to decide what's best for herself. She hates Black, and even if she didn't, she'd be more upset if you swooped in trying to tell her how to act then if you didn't, understand?"

As Gray looked ready to leap into the argument, Looker spoke up.

"We don't know if Black and Pitch are the same person." Looker shook his head, referencing Silver's earlier question. "We don't even know what he looks like. Only what he sounds like."

"Well, if he's traveling with Hilda, listen to the recordings."

"… We can't do that." Looker shook his head. "If we were found out for even getting this information, it might compromise our jobs."

"But Vale's out there." Sara whispered, taking the laptop from Looker. "He might know something that I don't. Give us a lead…"

"Wait, Blitz-!"

"I'll take the fall, Looker, I don't care."

With that, she pressed play.

Leaning back, she closed her eyes and listened. It took her a while to actually find a recording that she recognized, as most of Hilda's records were of talking to her friends or seniors in the past couple weeks. Then…

 _"Yo, Black!"_

 _"Come on! Even if I'm gonna keep Victini, I wanna challenge the gym and get it said and done so we can move on! So get off your transceiver, and hurry up!"_

 _"… Hilda Veritas is in good hands. I have to go."_

Sara continued listening, through tons of recordings. Most all of them was Black shamelessly flirting with Bianca and Hilda while Hilda would angrily interject. Looker pressed stop after the Castelia forest recordings were played. Sara's fists were clenched as she kept her head low.

"This boy…" Sara hissed under her breath. "Is here to lead us on how to help Vale and capture an incredibly dangerous international criminal… _And he's placing bets and flirting?!"_

The last part came out in a shrill shriek as she practically threw the laptop across the table. Thankfully, Silver caught it, but it didn't halt Sara in the slightest. She marched across the appartment and opened the door.

"Blitz! Sara!" Looker called after her. "Where are you going?!"

Sara didn't answer, slamming the door behind her as she left.

o.0.o.0.o

 **And thus the cutoff point. Decided to focus on Sara and co this time around, so it was just one big scene, lol.**

 **Amy47101 signing off! ^.^**


End file.
